Croton. | CXXII. EUPHORBIACEE (HUTCHINSON). 747 
and fleshy, Stamens 5-«, inserted on a usually pilose receptacle ; 
filaments free, inflexed in bud, at length erect; anthers pendulous on 
the inflexed filaments in bud, at length erect ; cells parallel, dehiscing 
longitudinally. Rudimentary ovary absent. Female flowers: Sepals 
often narrower than in the male. Petals when present often smaller 
than in the males, rudimentary or entirely absent, rarely represented 
by tufts of hairs. Disk annular or divided into glands. Ovary usually 
3-celled; styles usually recurved, 1-3 times bifid or partite, rarely 
multifid or partite ; ovules solitary in each cell. Capsule breaking up 
into 2-valved cocci, rarely subindehiscent. Seeds smooth, provided with 
a small strophiole; testa crustaceous or woody; albumen plentiful, 
fleshy ; embryo straight ; cotyledons broad and flat.—Trees, shrubs, or 
rarely herbs, of diverse habit, usually clothed with stellate hairs or 
orbicular scales. Leaves alternate or rarely opposite or subverticillate, 
entire, toothed, rarely lobed, penninerved or 3—«-nerved from the 
base, provided at the base with 2 usually stalked glands, the latter 
very rarely absent. Flowers spicate or racemose, when moncecious 
the males in the upper part of the inflorescence, the females in the 
lower, or sometimes both sexes mixed. Bracts small. 
Species over 600, distributed throughout the tropics, with comparatively few in 
subtropical regions. 
Leaves digitately 3—5-lobed to near the base é - iL. C. lobatus. 
Leaves not or rarely slightly lobed. 
*Leaves entire. 
Leaves clustered on much-abbreviated branchlets, 
: glabrous and not scaly on either surface - 2. C. Scarciesiz. 
Leaves laxly arranged on more or less elongated 
branchlets, pubescent with stellate hairs or 
scaly on both surfaces or only below, rarely 
nearly glabrous, 
}Petals absent from or very rudimentary in the 
female flowers. 
Racemes about 4 in. long; sepals of the 
female flowers acuminate. ° . 38. C. polytrichus. 
Racemes shorter; sepals of the female not 
acuminate. 
Ovary scaly, without stellate hairs. 
Leaves glabrous above when mature, 
with a few scattered hairs only 
towards the margin when young . 4. C.dichogamus. 
Leaves permanently stellate-pubescent 
above. . . ° ° 
Ovary villous, tomentose or pubescent with 
stellate hairs. 
Leaves rounded at the base, or if cordate 
then pinnately nerved; ovary pubes- 
cent or tomentose. 
Leaves thinly chartaceous or sub- 
coriaceous, tomentose or tomen- 
tellous below; racemes not slen- 
der, rather dense-flowered. 
Leaves 4-12 in. long, always 
5. C. Menyhartii. 
