Phyllanthus urinaria L.

Japanese: コミカンソウ(小蜜柑草) - コミカンソウ（英語表記）Phyllanthus urinaria L.

A small annual plant of the Euphorbiaceae family (illustration), commonly found in fields and roadsides in warm regions. Numerous small leaves grow alternately on both sides of short branches, making them appear compound leaves, and it is only when flowers appear in the leaf axils that one realizes they are simple leaves. The scientific name of the genus, Phyllanthus , means "flowers blooming on leaves," and the Chinese name, hashitadama, comes from the fact that the leaves look like they have fruit. Flowering season is from July to October. The flowers are very small and reddish brown, and the fruit is flat, spherical, and also reddish brown. The Japanese name comes from the shape of the fruit, which resembles a small mandarin orange.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

暖地の畑地や路傍に普通にみられる，トウダイグサ科の小型の一年草（イラスト）。多数の小さな葉が短枝の両側に互生し，複葉のように見え，葉腋（ようえき）に花が生じてはじめて単葉であることがわかる。属の学名Phyllanthusは，〈葉に花が咲く〉を意味し，また漢名の葉下珠も葉に果実がつくように見えることによる。花期は7～10月。花は赤褐色で非常に小さく，果実は平たい球形でやはり赤褐色。和名は果実の形を小型のミカンにみなしたもの。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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