Brush Sauropus

The brush sauropus is a small evergreen shrub which reaches a height of 35 cm (14 in) in the southern parts of its range, but may grow to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in the north. The leaves are simple and opposite, and clustered on short branchlets. They usually measure between 2 and 9 mm (0.08 and 0.35 in) long and are somewhat egg-shaped with the narrower end attached to the twig on a petiole about 1 mm (0.04 in) long. The inflorescences are produced in the leaf axils, and may consist of a single flower or a small cluster. The flowers are either male or female and in most cases both sexes occur on the one plant. They are about 4 mm (0.16 in) diameter, the male flowers held on a fine stem up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long and the female ones on a stem up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long. The fruit is a smooth round capsule about 3 mm (0.12 in) diameter.

Phyllanthus microcladus is found in scattered populations from near Mossman in northeast Queensland to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. The preferred habitat is alongside creeks and rivers in tropical and subtropical rainforest. In New South Wales much of the former habitat areas have been cleared for agriculture and housing. Populations are small and fragmented, and they are threatened by invasive weeds and by being crushed by domestic animals such as cattle. Stream erosion also threatens their habitat.