{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Italic title}} {{Speciesbox |name = Artillery plant |image = Starr 030807-0140 Pilea microphylla.jpg |image_caption = ''Pilea Microphylla'' in Maui, Hawaii |image2 = Pilea microphylla.jpg |image2_caption = ''Pilea microphylla'' in French Guiana |genus = Pilea |species = microphylla |authority = (L.) Liebm. }}
'''''Pilea microphylla''''', also known as '''angeloweed''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=PIMI2|taxon=Pilea microphylla|accessdate=3 October 2015}}</ref> '''artillery plant''', '''joypowder plant''', or (in Latin America)<ref>{{cite web|title=Brilhantina – Pilea microphylla|url=http://www.jardineiro.net/plantas/brilhantina-pilea-microphylla.html|publisher=Jardineiro|accessdate=6 February 2013}}</ref> '''''brilhantina''''', is an annual plant native to Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, and tropical Central and Southern America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pilea Microphylla|url=http://www.conabio.gob.mx/malezasdemexico/urticaceae/pilea-microphylla/fichas/ficha.htm#2.%20Origen%20y%20distribuci%C3%B3n%20geogr%C3%A1fica|publisher=Conabio|accessdate=6 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="pier">{{cite web|url=http://www.hear.org/pier/species/pilea_microphylla.htm|title=''Pilea microphylla''|date=22 July 2010|publisher=Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) |accessdate=2 January 2017}}</ref> In the southern part of México, specifically Campeche and Mérida, the local name is '''frescura'''.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The plant belongs to the family Urticaceae.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pilea microphylla Brilhantina, Folha-gorda, Planta-artilheira, Beldoega.|url=http://www.paisajismoyjardin.com/ES/item.aspx?id=100117-Pilea-microphylla|publisher=Paisajismo y Jardín|accessdate=6 February 2013}}</ref> It has light green, almost succulent, stems and tiny leaves. It is grown as a ground cover in many areas.
==Description== ''Pilea microphylla'' is an annual or short-lived perennial. It grows low or creeping on the ground. It is monoecious (with both male and female flowers in a single plant) with smooth, translucent light-green, succulent-like and highly-branching stems. The leaves are oval-shaped, narrowing to a point at the tips, with a short petiole. They are tiny, averaging at {{convert|1.5|to|6|mm|in}} long, and {{convert|2|to|5|mm|in}} wide. The leaves grow in asymmetric pairs, with one leaf smaller than the other. Almost all leaves have three primary veins originating from the base. The whitish to greenish flowers are also tiny, averaging at {{convert|3|to|4|mm|in}}, with male flowers being larger than female flowers. It flowers year-round.<ref name="Du Puy">{{cite web |last1=Du Puy |first1=D.J. |last2=Messina |first2=A. |last3=Kodela |first3=P.G. |title=''Pilea microphylla'' (L.) Liebm. |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Pilea%20microphylla |website=Flora of Australia |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref>
The common names of the plant (like "artillery plant", "joypowder plant", or "gunpowder plant") comes from the fact that the stamens of the male flowers explosively eject pollen grains during anthesis. This is due to the sudden straightening of the stamens.<ref name="Du Puy"/><ref name="Saha">{{cite web |last1=Saha |first1=Debalina |last2=Marble |first2=Chris |last3=Steed |first3=Shawn |last4=Boyd |first4=Nathan |access-date=7 April 2025|title=Biology and Management of ''Pilea microphylla'' (Artillery Weed) in Ornamental Crop Production |url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP535 |website=askIFAS |publisher=University of Florida}}</ref>
==Propagation== ''Pilea microphylla'' can be propagated by dividing the root ball, or taking herbaceous cuttings and rooting them with rooting hormone. The plant enjoys a thorough watering after the soil has been allowed to dry, and misting has been shown to be beneficial. Direct sunlight causes the leaves to turn brown and fall off, so it prefers filtered light.
==Invasive species== ''Pilea microphylla'' has been introduced to various tropical and subtropical regions around the world. It is considered an invasive species in Australia, China, Diego Garcia, the Galapagos Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna.<ref name="pier"/>
==Synonyms== * ''Pilea microphylla'' var. ''trianthemoides'' is a synonym of ''Pilea trianthemoides''
==References== {{Reflist}}{{Taxonbar|from=Q3023762}}
microphylla
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