222 MR. G. BE1STTHAM ON EUPHORBIACEiE. 



loose slender inflorescence of T. Beddomi ; but the flowers are not 

 in a state to determine their structure. 10. Aleurites comprises 

 two well-known trees from Eastern Asia and the Pacific islands, 

 with the calyx of Acalyphese, but allied to Jatropha in inflores- 

 cence, petals, and other characters. The two species are so dif- 

 ferent in aspect that they were formerly regarded as distinct 

 genera. The typical A. moluccana , included by Linnseus in 

 Jatropha is frequently sent from tropical America as well as 

 other tropical regions, but generally as planted or introduced. 

 There are, however, two tropical American species — one from 

 Mexico (Ervendberg, n. 373), the other from Guiana (Hob. ScJiom- 

 burgk, n. 474, Rich. Schomburgfc, n. 759) — with precisely the 

 inflorescence and male flowers of A. moluccana, but with specific 

 differences in the leaves and indumentum ; but the female flowers 

 being unknown and the native country so different, it is better to 

 leave them unnamed. The second known species, which was 

 Jussieu's genus Elceococca, is chiefly remarkable for the few large 

 flowers and more numerous carpels to the pistil. 11. Garcia, is 

 a single tropical American species, with the panicle reduced to a 

 terminal cluster, or even to a single flow r er. The calyx is that of 

 the Acalyphese, and the narrow petals much more numerous than 

 in any other Euphorbiaceous genus. Mueller, on this and some 

 other occasions, makes use of the circumstance that the number 

 of petals is twice or more than twice that of the calyx-divi- 

 sions to distinguish subtribes ; but the character is very unsatis- 

 factory, for in the genera in question it cannot well be ascer- 

 tained what is the real number of sepals of which the calyx is 

 composed. They are so completely united in the bud as to show 

 no trace of their sutures ; their venation is very indistinct ; and 

 when the flower expands, the calyx bursts very irregularly into 

 two or three fragments, which are evidently not separate sepals. 

 It is probable that, except perhaps in Garcia, the real number of 

 sepals composing the calyx is always the same as that of the 

 petals, as it certainly is wherever the sutures are traceable. 



Subtribe 2. Eucrotone^e. This is Mueller's tribe Crotonea? 



Mi 



It 



natural 



technically separated from it. It is the largest genus in the order 

 after Euphorbia, having been extended to about 500 species by 

 the last additions contained in the 'Flora Brasiliensis.' The great 



