Breynia disticha

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Malpighiales

Familia: Phyllanthaceae
Subfamilia: Phyllanthoideae
Tribus: Phyllantheae
Genus: Breynia
Species: Breynia disticha
Name

Breynia disticha J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Synonyms

Breynia nivosa 'Roseo-picta' (W. Bull) Small
Phyllanthus nivosus W.G. Sm.

References

Characteres Generum Plantarum... 146, t. 73. 1775
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Breynia disticha in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: Snowbush
suomi: Hiutalepensas
Kūki'Āirani: maemae
lea faka-Tonga: ʻileʻila

Breynia disticha is a plant in the family Phyllanthaceae, first described in 1776. It is native to New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the western Pacific, but naturalized on a wide assortment of other islands around the world (West Indies, São Tomé, Seychelles, Chagos Islands, Bonin Islands, Norfolk Island, Fiji, Line Islands, Society Islands, Hawaii, etc.), as well as in the U.S. state of Florida.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Breynia disticha presumably is pollinated by leafflower moths (Epicephala spp.) in its native range, like other species of plants in the genus Breynia.[8][9] Leafflower moths have been reared from fruit of this species in New Caledonia.[10]
References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia 41: 41-82.
Friedmann, F. (1994). Flore des Seychelles Dicotylédones: 1-663. ORSTOM éditions.
de Lange, P.J., Gardner, R.O., Sykes, W.R., Crowcroft, G.M., Cameron, E.K., Stalker, F., Christian, M.L. & Braggins, J.E. (2005). Vascular flora of Norfolk Island: some additions and taxonomic notes. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43: 563-596.
Wester, L. (1985). Checklist of the vascular plants of the Northern Line Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 287: 1-38.
http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220001922
Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2004. Obligate pollination mutualism in Breynia (Phyllanthaceae): further documentation of pollination mutualism involving Epicephala moths (Gracillariidae). American Journal of Botany. 91: 1319–1325
Zhang, J.; Wang, S.; Li, H.; Hu, B.; Yang, X.; Wang, Z. 2012. "Diffuse coevolution between two Epicephala species (Gracillariidae) and two Breynia species (Phyllanthaceae). PLOS ONE. 7: e41657.
Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2009. "Repeated independent evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in the Phyllantheae-Epicephala association." Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 276: 417–426.