Andrachne is a genus of flowering plants in the family Phyllanthaceae described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae. They are monoecious herbs or subshrubs, native to semideserts and desert margins of the Americas, southern Europe, North Africa, and South Asia. Linnaeus took the name from Theophrastus, but it is not clear to which plant Theophrastus applied the name. Actually, the etymology of the genus name corresponds to the Ancient Greek word, meaning either "common purslane" (Portulaca oleracea) or "wild strawberry" (Fragaria vesca).

Systematics

Species list

The Andrachne genus includes the following species. • # Andrachne afghanica - Afghanistan • # Andrachne aspera - NW Africa, E Africa + SW Asia from Egypt + Ethiopia to Pakistan • # Andrachne brittonii - Cuba, Haiti • # Andrachne buschiana - Transcaucasus • # Andrachne ephemera - Ethiopia • # Andrachne fedtschenkoi - Turkmenistan, Tajikistan • # Andrachne filiformis - Transcaucasus • # Andrachne fragilis - Somalia • # Andrachne fruticulosa - SW Iran • # Andrachne maroccana - Morocco • # Andrachne merxmuelleri - Iran • # Andrachne microphylla - Baja California Sur, Sonora, Peru • # Andrachne minutifolia - N Iran • # Andrachne pulvinata - N Iran • # Andrachne pusilla - Tajikistan • # Andrachne pygmaea - Kyrgyzstan • # Andrachne ramosa - Iran • # Andrachne reflexa - Iran • # Andrachne schweinfurthii - Somalia, Socotra • # Andrachne stenophylla - S Turkmenistan, N Iran • # Andrachne telephioides - Mediterranean, E Africa, SW + S + C Asia • # Andrachne virgatenuis - Tajikistan

Formerly included

The following species were formerly included in Andrachne before being moved to the other genera Bischofia, Breynia, Bridelia, Cleistanthus, Leptopus, Meineckia, Notoleptopus, Phyllanthus, Phyllanthopsis, Pseudophyllanthus, and Sauropus. • # A. apetala - Bischofia javanica • # A. arborea - Phyllanthus grandifolius • # A. arida - Phyllanthopsis arida • # A. attenuata - Leptopus clarkei • # A. australis - Leptopus australis • # A. bodinieri - Leptopus chinensis • # A. cadishaco - Cleistanthus collinus • # A. cadishan - Leptopus chinensis • # A. calcarea - Leptopus australis • # A. capensis - Pseudophyllanthus ovalis • # A. capillipes - Leptopus chinensis • # A. cavaleriei - Leptopus chinensis • # A. cerebroides - Meineckia cerebroides • # A. chinensis - Leptopus chinensis • # A. clarkei - Leptopus clarkei • # A. colchica - Leptopus chinensis • # A. cordifolia - Leptopus cordifolius • # A. cuneifolia - Phyllanthus cuneifolius • # A. decaisneana - Leptopus cordifolius • # A. decaisnei - Notoleptopus decaisnei • # A. doonkyboisca - Bridelia retusa • # A. dregeana - Pseudophyllanthus ovalis • # A. elliptica - Bridelia montana • # A. emicans - Leptopus emicans • # A. esquirolii - Leptopus clarkei • # A. fruticosa L. - Breynia fruticosa • # A. fruticosa Decne. ex Müll.Arg.

• Notoleptopus decaisnei • # A. fruticosa B.Heyne ex Hook.f. - Meineckia parvifolia • # A. fruticosa var. orbicularis (Benth.) Pax & K.Hoffm.
• Notoleptopus decaisnei • # A. gracilipes - Meineckia gracilipes • # A. hainanensis - Leptopus hainanensis • # A. hirsuta - Leptopus chinensis • # A. hirta - Leptopus australis • # A. hypoglauca - Leptopus clarkei • # A. lanceolata - Leptopus australis • # A. lolonum - Leptopus chinensis • # A. montana - Leptopus chinensis • # A. nana - Leptopus chinensis • # A. orbicularis - Notoleptopus decaisnei • # A. orbiculata - Cleistanthus collinus • # A. ovalis - Pseudophyllanthus ovalis • # A. ovata - Sauropus androgynus • # A. pachyphylla - Leptopus pachyphyllus • # A. persicariifolia - Leptopus clarkei • # A. phyllanthoides - Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides • # A. polypetala - Leptopus australis • # A. pumila - Phyllanthus caroliniensis • # A. reverchonii - Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides • # A. robinsonii - Leptopus robinsonii • # A. roemeriana - Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides • # A. schaffneriana - Phyllanthus caroliniensis • # A. tenera - Leptopus australis • # A. trifoliata - Bischofia javanica • # A. yunnanensis - Leptopus chinensis