Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants
Pilea microphylla
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Photo: Bart Wursten
La Rochelle
Photo: Bart Wursten
La Rochelle
Photo: Bart Wursten
La Rochelle
Photo: Bart Wursten
La Rochelle
Photo: Bart Wursten
La Rochelle
Photo: Bart Wursten
Nyungwe Forest National Park, Nyamasheke.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Nyungwe Forest National Park, Nyamasheke.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
Photo: Bart Wursten
Basoko town, Aruwimi River.
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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)
| Synonyms: |
Pilea muscosa Lindl. |
| Common names: | Artillery plant (English) Gunpowder plant (English) |
| Description: | Erect or procumbent, usually mat-forming, annual or short-lived perennial, herb, up to 30 cm. Stems slightly fleshy. Stipules up to 1 mm. Leaves of a pair very unequal in size: petiole 0.5-6 mm; lamina 1-15 × 0.5-4 mm, usually obovate, smooth and glabrous; apex rounded; margin entire. Inflorescence a small pedunculate to subsessile cymose cluster, 1-2 together in the leaf axils. Achene 0.5-0.8 mm, obovoid, brown, smooth. |
| Notes: | The specimens in the photographs appear to be a first record for the Eastern Division. The common names derive from the male flowers which explosively discharge pollen into the air. |
| Derivation of specific name: | microphylla: small-leaved |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Probably native in tropical Central America, widely naturalised in subtropical and tropical areas of the world. |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Image last updated: | Wednesday 29 February 2012 |
| Literature: |
Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 238. |
Other sources of information about Pilea microphylla:
Our websites:
Flora of Burundi: Pilea microphyllaFlora of the DRC: Pilea microphylla
Flora of Rwanda: Pilea microphylla
Flora of Zimbabwe: Pilea microphylla
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Pilea microphyllaAfrican Plant Database: Pilea microphylla
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Pilea microphylla
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Pilea microphylla
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Pilea microphylla
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Pilea microphylla
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Pilea microphylla
JSTOR Plant Science: Pilea microphylla
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Pilea microphylla
Plants of the World Online: Pilea microphylla
Tropicos: Pilea microphylla
Wikipedia: Pilea microphylla