Plant · GBIF taxon 5382780
Chamberbitter
Phyllanthus urinariaAlso known as Gripeweed, Shatterstone, Stonebreaker, Leafflower
Chamberbitter is a warm-season annual plant featuring horizontal branchlets that resemble small fern fronds or mimosa leaves. Tiny greenish flowers give way to rough, berry-like seed capsules arranged neatly along the undersides of these branchlets. As seeds mature, the pods explode forcefully to scatter seeds across surrounding soil, allowing it to rapidly colonize lawns, flower beds, and nursery containers.
AnnualWeedTropical
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
Predators
- Herbivorous Insects
- Slugs
- Snails
ThreatsHerbicide applications, manual weeding
HabitatsLawns, gardens, nursery pots, agricultural fields, waste areas
Life span1 year (annual)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderMalpighiales
- FamilyPhyllanthaceae
- GenusPhyllanthus
- SpeciesPhyllanthus urinaria
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Look for tiny, warty green seed pods lined under horizontal branchlets.
- Management: Pull plants manually before the explosive seed capsules mature.
- Observation: Check the plant at night to see its leaves fold tightly against the stem.
Superficial Look-Alike no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Close Relative (c) Alexis López Hernández, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alexis López Hernández · cc-by
Close Relative (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by portioid · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by S.MORE · cc0
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