About Phyllanthus polygonoides Nutt. ex Spreng.
Phyllanthus polygonoides, commonly called smartweed leaf-flower or knotweed leafflower, is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae. Mature plants reach a height between 10 and 50 centimeters. This species is native to the south-central and southwestern United States, specifically Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana, as well as northern and central Mexico. Across its native range, smartweed leaf-flower grows in multiple habitat types, including grasslands, shrublands (such as those of the Chihuahuan Desert), and forest glades. It most often occurs in association with limestone and calcareous soils. This species is morphologically similar to its close relative, pinewoods dainties (Phyllanthus liebmannianus). Within the United States, the two species have allopatric (geographically separated) distributions, though their ranges overlap in a zone in central Mexico.
