Dysphania pumilio (R.Br.) Mosyakin & Clemants

Chenopodiaceae, J. P. M. Brenan. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1954

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb, prostrate or ascending, with numerous usually slender simple to much branched stems 2–45 cm. long radiating from rootstock, green rarely red-tinged, pubescent and glandular, aromatic.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves elliptic to lanceolate in outline, small, mostly 0.3–2.7 cm. long and 0.2–1.3 cm. wide, with 2–4 (–5) usually coarse sometimes obscure teeth or lobes on each margin, rarely (on depauperate plants) entire or almost so, glands between veins on lower side of leaves sessile to subsessile, not or only sometimes accompanied by glandular hairs except on veins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers greenish, minute, about 0.4–0.75 mm. in diameter, sessile or subsessile in small rounded axillary clusters at most of the nodes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 4–5, sessile-glandular especially below, and more or less pubescent above, not at all keeled, but in fruit becoming rounded-convex on back outside and often whitish or pallid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamen 1.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pericarp easily scraped off seed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds (Fig. 2/9, p. 3) all “vertical” (laterally compressed), deep red-brown, shining, 0.5–0.75 mm. in diameter, bluntly or sharply keeled; testa under microscope almost smooth.

Habitat

A weed of cultivated areas and by railways, in some places very common; most probably introduced with agricultural seeds; 1650–2530 m.

Distribution

K3 K4 K5 K6 native of Australia, also in New Zealand and New Caledoniafrequently introduced with wool into other parts of the world, e.g. the United States and Europe, including Britain