Breynia disticha

J. R. Forster & G. Forster

Char. Gen. Pl. ed. 2, 146, plate 73. 1776.

IntroducedIllustrated
Synonyms: Breynia nivosa (W. Bull) Small
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 346.

Shrubs, 0.5–3 m. Leaves on main-stems spiral. Leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous; petiole 2–4 mm; blade elliptic to ovate or suborbiculate, 1.5–4 × 1–3 cm, base obtuse to rounded, apex rounded. Pedicels: staminate 6–9 mm, pistillate 3–9 mm. Staminate flowers: calyx top-shaped, truncate, 1.5–3 mm. Pistillate flowers: sepals obovate, 1–5 mm. Capsules 5 mm diam., smooth. Seeds brown, 2–3 mm. 2n = 52 (Jamaica).


Phenology: Flowering and fruiting summer.
Habitat: Disturbed sites.
Elevation: 0–10 m.

Distribution

V12 1102-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Fla., Pacific Islands, also in West Indies, Indian Ocean Islands

Discussion

Breynia disticha, native to New Caledonia and Vanuatu, is widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas and occasionally becomes naturalized. In the flora area, it is limited to scattered counties in southern Florida. Most plants are cultivars with variegated leaves in various shades of green, white, red, and pink; naturalized populations may revert to uniformly green leaves. The calyx typically reproduces the colors of the leaves, sometimes even being variegated.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"connate" is not a number.

... more about "Breynia disticha"
connate +
rounded +
Geoffrey A. Levin +
J. R. Forster & G. Forster +
obtuse;rounded +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
elliptic +  and ovate or suborbiculate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
top--shaped +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
Fla. +, Pacific Islands +, also in West Indies +  and Indian Ocean Islands +
0–10 m. +
pistillate +  and staminate +
Disturbed sites. +
few-flowered +  and staminate +
paniclelike +  and racemelike +
persistent +
scale-like +
pistillate +  and staminate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
distinct +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Flowering and fruiting summer. +
Char. Gen. Pl. ed. +
rounded-trigonous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
persistent +
obovate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Introduced +  and Illustrated +
free +, connate +  and distinct +
distinct +
Breynia nivosa +
Breynia disticha +
species +
evergreen +, deciduous +, annual +  and perennial +