Flueggea virosa

Syn. Phyllanthus virosus

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

Evergreen Deciduous

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering Fruiting

Reddish-brown to dark brown bark covering slender, arching branches that feature occasional small, thorn-like side twigs.

Thin, alternate, elliptic to obovate leaves (1.5–9 cm long) with dark green topsides and visibly lighter greenish undersides.

Minute, creamy-green flowers clustered in leaf axils; the species is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on completely separate plants.

Fleshy, waxy, pure white berries (~4–5 mm wide) that grow in dense, crowded bunches, each split into three distinct segments containing tiny seeds.

It is considered an indicator of shallow groundwater in dry savannahs because it can thrive in areas with access to deeper soil moisture.

Africa to Australia, Florida, Puerto Rico