880 CXXII, EUPHORBIACEZ (HUTCHINSON). | Acalypha, 
57. ACALYPHA, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. 
ii. 811. 
Flowers monecious or rarely diecious. Petals and disk absent. 
Male flowers: Calyx thinly membranous, closed in bud, at length val- 
vately 4-partite. Stamens mostly 8 (in the African species), attached 
to the slightly raised receptacle; filaments free; anther-cells distinct, 
spreading, oblong or linear, usually flexuous or vermiform. Rudimentary 
ovary absent. Female flowers: Sepals 3-4, imbricate, small. Ovary 
3-celled ; styles free (connate for half their length in 2, A. peduneularis), 
laciniate, rarely entire or only bilobed; ovules solitary in each cell. 
Capsule 3-lobed, usually small and soon dehiscing. Seeds ellipsoid or 
subglobose, with a crustaceous testa; albumen fleshy ; cotyledons broad 
and flat.—Herbs, shrubs or trees of various habit. Leaves alternate, 
toothed, 3-7-nerved from the base or penninerved, usually petiolate. 
Inflorescence various, axillary or terminal or both, bisexual or unisexual, 
if bisexual then the female flowers below (very rarely above) the 
males, if unisexual then the male spikes or racemes axillary and the 
female spike (very rarely a panicle) terminal, or sometimes the flowers 
diwcious. Male flowers very small, glomerate in small inconspicuous 
bracts, arranged in slender catkin-like spikes or racemes. Female flowers 
solitary or rarely more than 2 within a variously toothed or lobed 
bract which usually becomes foliaceous in the fruiting stage. 
About 300 species, occurring (often as weeds) throughout the warmer regions of 
both hemispheres; a few in extra-tropical America. 
As the male flowers of Acalypha are extremely small and do not appear to differ 
much in the various species, their description in the following has been confined to 
the bud-stage. 
*Male and female flowers on separate inflorescences, 
very rarely a few males present at the apex of the 
female axis. 
Flowers dicecious or at least each shoot or stem 
unisexual. 
Leaves sessile or with a petiole not more than 
3 lin. long. 
Stems numerous, about 14 ft. long, unbranched, 
arising from a woody rhizome; leaves 
oblong or oblong-lanceolate. 
Female inflorescence axillary, often reduced 
toa solitary flower ; stylesfree tothe base 1. 4. fuscescens. 
Female inflorescence terminal, composed of 
several flowers; styles connate in their 
lower half . : ‘ Z : . 2. A. peduncularis. 
Stems much-branched ; a shrub; leaves obovate ee: 
or oblanceolate, acuminate. : . 3. A. chirindica. 
Leaves with petioles 4-2 in. long. 
Leaves accuminate, coarsely serrate; female 
inflorescence terminal . - : : . 
Leaves obtuse or subacute, crenate; female . 
inflorescence axillary . . . : ~ 6, 4. angolene®. 
4, A. Grantii. 
