Duppy Bush and Duppy Bush Moth

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Duppy Bush 

Duppy Bush Phyllanthus angustifolius (Sw.) Sw  Family: EUPHORBIACEAE, Vulnerable 

Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Swan Islands (Honduras) 

Seaside Laurel - Jamaica (Flowering Plants of Jamaica, 1972. C.D. Adams p.410)

Foliage Flower, Sword Bush - US – not native

Duppy Bush grows very easily in different habitats, seeds itself and is a good landscaping plant - as a hedge or stand-alone shrub.

Shrub, monoecious (separate staminate and pistillate flowers on the same plant), leaves absent except on seedlings or when the plant starts to grow after being cut back to the ground. Flowers are in small staminate or bisexual clusters at notches of the PHYLLOCADES - green flattened stems, ALTERNATE, that resemble leaves.

Flora of the Cayman Islands, Proctor 2012 p.444, Fig.159, Plates 37 & 38. 

 This plant had been cut back to the ground and has little, rounded leaves

Duppy Bush flowers and fruits on the edge of the flattened stems (phyllocades).

Duppy Bush growing on Grand Cayman's IRONSHORE, (foreground).

Photo: Ann Stafford, north coast, March 19, 2004.

Duppy Bush flowers & fruits, Will Burrard-Lucas photo
Will Burrard-Lucas, wildlife photographer, visited the Cayman Islands in May, 2012.

Duppy Bush Moth

Duppy Bush Moth or White-tipped Black moth - Melanchroia chephise (Cramer), Family: GEOMETRIDAE.

Duppy Bush moth on Snake Wood / Red Heart - Colubrina arborescens, 
Family: RHAMNACEAE, Critically Endangered.
Photo: Ann Stafford, Grand Cayman, June 28, 2009.

 The Duppy Bush day-flying moth caterpillar is a looper.

The larvae do not seem to harm Duppy Bush - Phyllanthus angustifolius, one of thier larval food plants.

However, Melanchroia chephise larvae also feed on leaves and bark and can strip and kill Phyllanthus acidus trees – Chellamella (Cayman), Gooseberry (Guyana), Otaheite Gooseberry, West Indian Gooseberry and other common names.

Photo: Lois Blumenthal, Grand Cayman, Sept. 2, 2008.

Chellomello, West Indian Gooseberry, Otaheite Gooseberry - Phyllanthus acidus  (L.)

This tree is called Chellomello or Chellamella in Cayman. 

(Flora of the Cayman Islands, Proctor 2012 p.440).

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In Jamaica it is called Cheramina, Jimbling,  Otaheite Gooseberry, Short Jimbelin, Jimbilin.

(Flowering Plants of Jamaica, 1972, C.D. Adams, p.407 and 376.)

 It is also called West Indian Gooseberry.  Tahiti was formerly known as Otaheite.  

Phyllanthus acidus is probably native to northeast coast of Brazil and has been frequently wrongly been ascribed to Madagascar, India or Polynesia. It is cultivated pan-tropically.

References:

Flowering Plants of Jamaica, 1972, C.D. Adams, p.407 and 376.

Flora of the Cayman Islands, 2012, George R. Proctor, p.440.

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Earth Day - Cayman’s native plants for native wildlife

Cayman’s native plants for native wildlife in my Caribbean garden, 

George Town, Grand Cayman:

Red Bean/Immortelle/Cockspur Tree – Erythrina velutina Critically Endangered

Fustic – Maclura tinctoria Critically Endangered (dioecious), this tree bears staminate flowers

Fiddlewood – Petitia domingensis Endangered

Bull Thatch – Thrinax radiata, Critically Endangered

Parrot Berry – Bourreria venosa with Bald Pate/White-crowned Pigeon

Mahogany – Swietenia mahagoni Endangered

Snake Wood – Colubrina arborescens Critically Endangered  

Strawberry – Eugenia axillaris 

Also in the picture, or just out of it, are

Wild Spanish Armada – Alvaradoa amorphoides Endangered

Trichilia – Trichilia havanensis Critically Endangered

Cedar – Cedrela odorata Critically Endangered

Wild Calabash - Elaeodendron xylocarpum Critically Endangered (not the same as Calabash)

Clam Cherry - Cordia laevigata Critically Endangered

Burn Nose – Daphnopsis americana Critically Endangered

Broadleaf – Cordia sebestena var. caymanensis* Vulnerable

Wild Cinnamon – Croton nitens Endangered

Duppy Bush – Phyllanthus angustifolius

Cajon – Colubrina cubensis

Ghost Orchid – Dendrophylax fawcettii* Critically Endangered

Old George – Hohenbergia caymanensis* Critically Endangered

Banana Orchid – Myrmecophila thomsoniana var. thomsoniana* Endangered

Dollar Orchid – Prosthechia boothiana Near Threatened

Smoke Wood – Erythroxylum areolatum

Lancewood – Randia aculeata

Slingshot (Wild Jasmine) – Tabernaemontana laurifolia  Endangered

Jessamine (Cestrum) – Cestrum diurnum Vulnerable

Pepperleaf Sweetwood – Licaria triandra Critically Endangered

Pepper Cinnamon – Canella winterana Critically Endangered

* endemic

Photo: Ann Stafford, April 19, 2014

Bulrush - Zamia integrifolia (= Z. pumila), ZAMIACEAE, Critically Endangered,
male plant on left, female plants on right, Grand Cayman.
Ann's garden, photo: Ann Stafford, Apr. 22, 1012

Christmas Berry - Allophylus cominia var. caymanesis, Family: SAPINDACEAE, Cayman Islands endemic variety, Near Threatened.
A shrub with tiny flowers, which will have become bright red berries by Christmas time.
Ann's garden, photo: P. Ann van B. Stafford, Oct. 8, 2012

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Banana Orchid - Myrmecophila thomsoniana, Cayman Islands National Flower, endemic, Endangered.
M.t. var. thomsoniana - Grand Cayman only
M.t. var. minor - Little Cayman and Cayman Brac only.
Photo: P. Ann van B. Stafford, June 3, 2013.

Myrsine - Myrsine acrantha, Family: MYRSINACEAE, Critically Endangered
and non-native Christmas/Manila Palms.
Ann's garden, Feb.6, 2013.

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 Bull hoof - Bauhinia divaricata, Family: FABCAEAE,
a favourite nectar flower of Grand Cayman's endemic Swallowtail butterfly.
Ann's Garden, March 22, 2010.

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 Queen or Soldier larvae, Danaus sp. on 

Red Top (Scarlet Milkweed) - Asclepias curassavica, their larval food plant.
Photo: P. Ann van B. Stafford, Grand Cayman, Dec. 24, 2006.

 Queen butterfly - Danaus gilippus, Family: DANAIDAE,
nectaring on Red Top (Scarlet Milkweed) - Asclepias curassavica.
Photo: P. Ann van B. Stafford, Grand Cayman, Nov. 21, 2004.