Flower profile

Chamberbitter

Phyllanthus urinaria

Chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria) is a flowering plant in the Phyllanthaceae family, introduced in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly August–November across the U.S.

Introduced in the lower 48

Chamberbitter is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–November.

12states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

8,101U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

🚫

Regulated invasive plant in Alabama. It's on that state' official invasive plant list (Alabama: Class C noxious weed). Please don't plant or share it there. ^{Ala. r. 80-10-14-.04}

Quick look

Phyllanthus urinaria is a species of annual flowering plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is native to Asia and has an introduced presence in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. It has common names such as chamber bitter, gripeweed, shatterstone, stonebreaker, and leafflower.
From Wikipedia's article Phyllanthus urinaria, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Phyllanthaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 1,085 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #88 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 966 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #31 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 876 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #63 among the 167 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (158 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	Introduced	few records (20)	1,085
Louisiana	Introduced	few records (20)	966
Alabama	Introduced	few records (17)	876
South Carolina	Introduced	few records (4)	477
Mississippi	Introduced	few records (14)	279

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Louisiana.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alabama.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in South Carolina.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records chamberbitter in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Bulloch, Echols, Grady, Harris, Randolph, Thomas.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Jackson, Jefferson, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, Sabine, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Baldwin, Covington, Lee, Mobile, Tuscaloosa.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Lower 48 states: Introduced; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Introduced; Pacific Basin (excluding Hawaii): Native; Puerto Rico: Introduced.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 106 counties across 11 states; the most are in Florida (35), Louisiana (34), Texas (13).

More Georgia flowers

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: June–August

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: June–July

Little brown jugs

Asarum arifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in GA: March–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PHUR.
iNaturalist, Phyllanthus urinaria: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Phyllanthus urinaria (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Phyllanthus urinaria (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Engers via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.