Pilea pubescens

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Pilea pubescens

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Description

Herb up to 30 cm high, monoecious (or dioecious?), branched; stem creeping to ascending, branches erect or ascending. Stem 0.5-5 mm thick, short-pubescent. Leaves of a pair more or less unequal in size; stipules 0.5-3 mm long, sparsely puberulous; petiole 0.2-1.5 cm long; blade papyraceous, broadly ovate to ovate (to suborbicular or elliptic to narrowly elliptic), (0.3-)1-6.5 x (0.3-)0.5-4 cm, apex rounded to obtuse to acute, base truncate to acute, margin coarsely crenate to subentire, glabrous or short-pubescent above, (short-)pubescent to pilose beneath; secondary veins (1-)2-6 pairs. Inflorescences in the leaf axils, unisexual or bisexual, up to 3.5 cm long, branched. Staminate flowers: tepals 1-1.2 mm long. Pistillate flowers: tepals 0.2-0.5 mm long. Achene ca. 0.6 mm long.

Distribution

Northern America, Southern America: Brazil South (Santa Catarina present), southern Brazil present
From the West Indies and Mexico to southern Brazil (Santa Catarina).

Notes

The species is very variable. The form occurring in the Guianas is rather tender with relatively small inflorescences. Much more robust plants with larger inflorescences are found in the West Indies and Mexico.