Euphorbia. | CXXII. EUPHORBIACEH (BROWN). a91 
about 10 ft. from the ground into a dense obconic flat-topped crown of 
succulent spiny leafless branches, glabrous. Branches constricted into 
segments 8-12 in. long, with the terminal or flowering segments 
broadest at the base, tapering upwards or conical in general outline, 
3-5- (usually 4-) angled, with the central solid part 14-12 in. square 
and the angles wing-like and 1-1} in. broad. Spines up to 5 lin. 
long, stout and about } in. thick at the base, in pairs 3-1} in. apart, 
diverging, those on the flowering segments gradually smaller and often 
disappearing. Flowering-eyes placed a little above the spine-pairs. 
Involucres 4-9 in a cluster (really composed of 2-3 subsessile or sessile 
cymes), sessile or very shortly pedunculate, about } in. in diam. and 
about as deep, fleshy, tubular-campanulate, slightly constricted at the 
middle, with 5 glands and 5 fringed lobes; glands distant, about } in. 
in their greater diam., transversely elliptic, entire, with the inner margin 
incurved. Capsule as large as « cherry, depressed-globose, not 3-angled 
or lobed, red ; styles bifid at the apex.—Pax in Engl. Jahrb. xxxiv. 75, 
partly; Berger, Sukk. Euphorb. 66. 
Mozamb. Distr. German East Africa: Usambara, Holst, 8821, partly, ex 
Volkens. 
I have not seen the type of this species, and as no details are given concerning 
the toothing of the stem-angles, spine-shields, accurate position of flowering-eyes, 
calyx, &e., [am unable to place it in the key, but it seems allied to B. intercedens. 
173, E. similis, Berger, Sukk. Euphorb. 69, fig. 15. Arborescent, 
20-30 ft. high, leafless or with foliage-leaves, spiny. Branches erect, 
subparallel, probably forming an obconic crown, fleshy, usually 4- (some- 
times 5-) angled, slightly constricted into parallel-sided segments 6-18 
in. long, 2-5 in, square, becoming thicker with age, deep green, not 
tinted with blue nor glaucous on the younger parts; angles wing-like, 
rather thin and not more than 1} lin. thick at the edge on the younger 
branches, except at the spine-shields, straight or wavy, nearly even or 
slightly sinuate-toothed at the margins, when young separated by broad 
triangular channels 11-1} in. deep, with age growing out into flat 
faces, their sides marked by aslightly prominent longitudinal rib nearly 
midway between the margin and centre, from which slightly prominent 
ribs obliquely ascend to the spine-shields. Leaves sometimes rudimentary 
and Seale-like, 14 lin. long, deltoid, subulate-acuminate, recurved, some- 
times developed into a linear-cuneate or cuneate oblanceolate sessile 
foliage-leaf 3-34 in. long, 14-8 lin. broad, with a short subulate point at 
the *pex, deciduous, with small hard auricle-like persistent or deciduous 
blackish-brown stipules at the base. Spines 14-2 lin. long, in pairs 
i-14 in, apart, diverging, distinctly deflexed, blackish, on suborbicular 
blackish spine-shields 11-1} lin. long and 1}-1} lin. broad. Flowering- 
eyes }-4 in. above the spine-shields and quite separate from them, with 
1 or 2 small blackish-brown scales about or covering them. Flowers 
and fruit not seen.—Z. natalensis, Hort. ex Berger, Sukk, Euphorb. 71. 
‘Tropical Africa? Country unknown, but possibly a native of South Africa, 
Seribed from a living p’ant long cultivated at Kew! 
De 
yy 
This has been cultivated as BE. abyssinica, 
