Mascarene Island Leaf-flower

Moeroris tenella

Found in disturbed areas, mulched beds, gardens. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 47%

Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to wet

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 19 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Phyllanthus

Diphthera festivaHieroglyphic Moth
Melanochroia chephiseWhite-Tipped Black Moth, Snowbush Spanworm
Cacotherapia unipuncta

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Phyllanthaceae
Flower color: Green or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Mascarene Island Leaf Flower; Moeroris amara; Phyllanthus amarus; Phyllanthus tenellus; leaf flower; leaf-flower

Conservation status

Alabama rank	Not available
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden