Phyllanthus ciccoides (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Phyllanthus ciccoides Muell. Arg.

Family: Euphorbiaceae

• Flueggeopsis microspermus K. Schum.,
• Phyllanthus novae-hollandiae Baillon non Muell. Arg.,
• P. baccatus F. Muell. ex Benth.

• Solomon Islands: sasale.

From New Guinea to the New Hebrides, the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands, and Australia (Northern Territory and Western Australia).

In the Solomon Islands planted as a fallow crop, for live fences, and as a support tree for yams (Dioscorea spp.). The wood yields an average quality fuel. It is quite heavy and used for beams and posts in house building, and is also suitable for digging sticks used e.g. in taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) cultivation. The pounded leaves are boiled in a mixture with other ingredients in order to stain Pandanus leaves black for traditional mat making.

• Small, monoecious tree or shrub up to 10 m tall. Branchlets with flowers and about 10 leaves, glabrous or white pubescent.
• Leaves alternate, simple, entire, broadly ovate, glabrous or white pubescent, 1.5-4.5 cm long, obtuse or shortly acuminate; stipule 1 mm long.
• Flowers in a fascicle; male flower 1 mm long; female flower with caducous tepals; ovary 6-locular.

P. ciccoides occurs in disturbed montane rain forest, tall secondary forest, garden regrowth, and in Imperata grass infested sites, on stream banks and in steep hill forest, up to 1900 m altitude. It grows rapidly and can be propagated by cuttings.

• Airy Shaw, H.K., 1980. The Euphorbiaceae of New Guinea. Kew Bulletin Additional Series 8. 243 pp.
• Airy Shaw, H.K., 1980. New or noteworthy Australian Euphorbiaceae - 2. Muelleria 4: 207-242.
• de Candolle, A.P., 1862. Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. Volume 15, part 1. Victor Masson et filius, Paris, France.
• Henderson, C.P. & Hancock, I.R., 1989. A guide to the useful plants of Solomon Islands. Research Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara, Solomon Islands. 481 pp.
• Webster, G.L. & Airy Shaw, H.K., 1971. A provisional synopsis of the New Guinea taxa of Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae). Kew Bulletin 26: 85-109.

• M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen