Fauna
Plant · GBIF taxon 5382780

Chamberbitter

Phyllanthus urinaria

Also 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
Chamberbitter reference1 / 7
Licensed reference(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
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)
Classification
  1. OrderMalpighiales
  2. FamilyPhyllanthaceae
  3. GenusPhyllanthus
  4. SpeciesPhyllanthus urinaria
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. 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.
Related species
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