Phyllanthaceae

•Nearly all trees, shrubs, or herbs. A few are climbers, or succulents. few produce a resinous exudate. Any hairs, if present, are almost always simple. Rarely are they branched or scale-like. Thorns and other armament are rare.

•Stipules are produced with each leaf, but in some, these fall before the leaf is fully mature. Leaves are present, except for a few species that have flattened, leaflike stems called cladodes that bear flowers along their edges. The leaf margin is almost always entire, rarely toothed. A petiole is nearly always present, often with a pulvinus at its base.

•The inflorescences are usually in the axils of leaves, rarely below the leaves or at the ends of stems.