Phyllanthus microcladus
Encyclopedia
Phyllanthus microcladus is a plant found in sub tropical areas of eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The Brush Sauropus is listed as endangered by extinction. It occurs by streams in sub tropical rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

, from as far south as Grafton, New South Wales
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...

 to the south east rainforest areas of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. Most often seen in the valleys of the Brunswick, Richmond and Tweed
Tweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...

 Rivers in far north eastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

.

Former habitat areas have been cleared for agriculture and housing. Populations are small and fragmented, and they are threatened by invasive weeds and by being crushed by domestic animals such as cattle. Stream erosion also threatens their habitat. Male and female flowers grow on different plants.

Description

A small hairless plant, with many small branches, up to 35 cm tall with tiny leaves, 4 to 8 mm long and 2 to 5 mm wide. Leaf stems 1 mm long. The leaf shape is mostly round and somewhat wedge shaped. Leaves glaucous
Glaucous
Glaucous is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the Glaucous Gull , Glaucous-winged Gull , Glaucous Macaw , and Glaucous...

underneath. Flowering occurs in the summer months on relatively long stems. The fruit is a small capsule, around 3 mm long.
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