Leptopus, the maidenbushes, are a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae native to southern Asia from the Caucasus east to China and Maluku.
[1][2] The plants are monoecious herbs and shrubs with simple, entire leaves and small, green flowers.
Leptopus is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae[3] and comprises 9 species.
[9] Leptopus fangdingianus had been placed by some authors in a separate genus, Archileptopus, but it was shown in 2007 that recognition of Archileptopus makes Leptopus paraphyletic.
[4] moved to other genera: Chorisandrachne Euphorbia Notoleptopus Phyllanthopsis