Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Phyllanthus urinaria

Edible: Leaves, Leaves - tea

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 10-30 cm high. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 6-12 mm long by 4-6 mm wide The male flowers are in clusters in the axils of leaves. The female flowers occur singly in the lower axils. The flowers are green and cream. The fruit have 6 shallow lobes. The fruit are 2.5 mm across.

It is a tropical plant. It grows near river flats and on alluvial soil. It grows along the sides of marshy areas. In Fiji it grows from sea level up to 1,130 m altitude. In China it grows in dry fields and on the edges of forests between 100-600 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Common Names: Leaf-Blossum, Chakpa-heikru, Cho de, Choi aei, Chuosh-engchuan, Gripe weed, Hazarmani, Keezhamelli, Meyyalunboa, Mye-shit-sha, Mye-ziphyu, Shatterstone, Sohlhu, Yajinlong, Zhu zai cao

Synonyms: 

Diasperus urinaria (L.) Kuntze;
Phyllanthus alatus Blume;
Phyllanthus cantoniensis Hornem.;
and others