1157

 Phyllanthus niruri  L.

 

Synonym	:	Urinaria erecta Medik.
Family	:	PHYLLANTHACEAE
Local name	:	English - stonebreaker
Flowering and fruiting period	:	July --September.
Distribution	:	Troughout Assam and other states of India
Distribution in kerala	:	Thriuvanthapuram
Habitat	:	evergreen forest areas,
Uses	:	used in traditional medicine for various illnesses,, like jaundice, chronic dysentery, dyspepsia, cough, indigestion, diabetes,
Key Botanical Characters. Herbs, erect, upto 60 cm tall, stem cyllindrical, smooth, glabrous, green; branchlets not angled, cyllindrical, ca. 0.05 cm diameter; stipule present on both base of petiole and petiolule, stipule present on base of petiole is dark brown, needle like, ca. 0.15 cm long, stipule present on base of petiolule is green, apex brown, needle like, ca. 0.1 cm long; leaves compound, leaflets alternate, margin entire, apex acute, base symmetrical, lamina ca. 0.9 x 0.4 cm, glabrous, adaxially green, abaxially glaucous, petiolule ca. 0.05 cm; flowers axillary, solitary; male flowers ca. 0.1 cm diameter, light yellow or whitish; calyx 5, ca. 0.1 cm long; stamens 3, connate, pedicel ca. 0.1 cm long; female flowers ca. 0.1 cm diameter, light yellow; calyx 5, ca. 0.1 cm long, pedicel 0.1 cm long; style 3, bifid; ovary ca. 0.1 cm with pedicel; capsule orbicular, 6 lobed, 0.15 cm diameter, pedicel 0.15 cm long; seeds 6, ca. 0.1 cm, brown, trig.