Tab. 8673. 

 EUPHORBIA Caput-Medtjsae. 



South Africa. 



EUPHORBIACBAB. Tribe EUPHORBIEAE. 



Euphorbia, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 258. 



Euphorbia Caput-Medusae, Linn. Sp. PI. ed. 1, p. 452, Amoen. Acad 

 vol. iii. p. 110, et Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. ii. p. 330 ; Mill. Gard. Diet. 

 ed. 8, no. 7 ; Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 1, vol. ii. p. 135 ; Lodd. Bot, Cab. t. 1315 ; 

 Boiss. in DC. Prodr. vol. xv. pars ii. p. 86; K. Schum. in Monatsschr. 

 Kakt. vol. viii. pp. 53, 54; Berger in Monatsschr. Kaht. vol. viii. p. 91, et 

 SukJc. Euphorb. p. 110, fig. 29 ; Marloth in Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutsch 

 Tiefsee-Exped. vol. ii. pars iii. t. 9 ; N. E. Br. in Kew Bull. 1912, p. 246, 

 cum tab., et in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vol. v. pt. ii. p. 239 ; species habitu insigne 

 et appendicibus involucri conspicuis albis distincta. 



Frutex succulenta nana. Caulis subglobosus, usque ad 15-20 cm. diametro, 

 apice depresso, ramis numerosissimis rosulatis dense obtectus. Rami 

 interiores suberecti, 5-10 cm. longi, exteriores patuli 15-37 cm. lon»i, 

 1-7-2-5 (nonnunquam an ex norma ad 4) cm. crassi, cylindrici, tuber- 

 culati, glabri, virides, tuberculis 3-5 mm. prominentibus obtusis. Folia 

 3-5 mm. longa, 1 mm. lata, linearia, acuta vel obtusa, crassa, supra plana 

 vel subcanaliculata, subtus valde convexa, glabra. Pedunculi 3-10 mm. 

 longi, ex axillis tuberculorum ad apicem ramorum enati, crassi, minute 

 bracteolati, persistentes, virides. Involucrum 10-12 mm. diametro, extra 

 glabrum; lobi subquadrati, denticulati, intra pubescentes, extra glabri, 

 f usco-purpurei ; glandes virides, appendicibus petaloideis albis in lobos 

 3-6 palmatim divisis vel transversim oblongis et denticulatis. Ovarium 

 subsessile, obtuse trigonum, glabrum ; styli 2-5 mm. longi, ad medium 

 vel fere ad apicem connati, erecti— E. Fructus-Pini, Mill. Gard. Diet, 

 ed. 8, no. 10. E. Medusae, Thunb. Prodr. vol. ii. p. 86, et Fl. Cap. ed! 

 Schult. p. 404. E. tessellata, Sweet, Hort. Suburb. Lond. p. 107. E. 

 Fructus-Pini var. geminata, Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. 1, p. 356. E. Com- 

 melini, DC. Cat. PI. Hort. Monspel. p. 110 ; Spreng. Syst. vol. iii. p. 787. 

 Medusea Fructus-Pini, M. major et M. tessellata, Haw. Synop. pp. 134, 135 ; 

 Klotzsch & Garcke in Abhandl. Akad. Berlin, 1860, p. 61. Tithymalus 

 aizoides Africanus simplici squamato caule, Comm. Praelud. Bot. p. 57, 

 fig. 7. Euphorbium procumbens ramis plurimis, etc., et E. procumbens 

 ramis geminatis, dc, Burm. Ear. Afr. PL pp. 17, 18, tt. 8, 9. Euphorbium 

 anacanthum angusto Polygoni folio, var. 1 et 2 tantum, Isnard in Mem 

 Acad. Roy. Sci. Paris, 1720, pp. 386, 387.— N. E. Brown 



This Euphorbia is a native of South Africa which has- 

 been known in European succulent collections for over 

 two centuries. Its early introduction is doubtless due to 

 its occurrence on the mountains near Cape Town, to which 

 it appears to be confined. Although the name E. Caput- 



August, 1916. 



