£>q)horbia.] EUPiiORBiACE.-E (Brown). 229 



Leaves not wavy at the margius ; peduncles 1-5 in. 



long; umbels with 3-15 involucres (82) elliptica. 



Leaves wavy at the margins; peduncles J-1^ in. 

 long, bearing 1 involucre or an umbel of 2-5 

 involucres ... (S3; crispa. 



B. Woody shrubs 5-7 ft. high; branches sometimes tapering 

 to a point, but not distinctly spine-pointed, leafless or leaves 

 rudimentary, soon deciduous, alternate. 



Branches with numerons very prominent flowering 

 tubercles scattered aloug them ] bark dark brown ; 

 involucres puberulous ... ., (35) frutescens. 



Branches with slightly prominent leaf-scars, but no 

 prominent flowering tubercles ; bark light ochreous 

 brown; involucres glabrous (36) guerichiana, 



C. Shrublets 6-12 in. high -with sharp spine-pointed tips to the 

 branches, more or less succulent at the young parts, becoming 

 subwoody. Leaves very am.all or rudimentary, soon deciduous. 



Leaves and branches alternate ; involucre 3^-5 lin. in 



diam (37) liguosa. 



Leaves and branches opposite ; involucre 1 lin. in diam. (38) spinea. 



I 



* - ^ 



D. Plant distinctly succulent, at least as to the branches, the 

 trunk or lower part of the arborescent or shrubby species becom- 

 ing woody. Leaves often rudimentary or small, soon deciduous, 

 the plant often appearing leafless. 



I. Plants quite spineless J hut sometimes ivith dried or hard persistent pcdaiidcs or 

 Ci/mcs^ and in a feiv species the hrfmchcs taper to the apex ^ but never form a sharp 

 Bpinc^ 



*Shrublet3, shrubs, buahily branched plants or (in 70, F. 

 Tirucalli) a tree, sometimes appearing more or less 

 woody when dried ; branches with or without scattered 

 (rarely closely placed) tubercles or prominent leaf- 

 scars, stout or terete and slender : 

 tLeaves, leaf -scars or the scattered tubercles formed by 

 the leaf-bases and the branches all alternate (see 

 also 121), E, clava) : 

 Branches with distant conical tubercles (persisteut 

 bases of the petioles) 1-D lin. prominent scattered 



along them ; 

 Branches, bracts and involucres minutely puberu- 

 louB ; glands of the involucre erect j con- 

 tiguous, forming a cup with a very shortly and 

 densely toothed margin -•• G"^) peltigera. 



Branches, bracts and involucres glabrous ; glands 



of the involucre not forming a cup, entire 



or minutely crenulate on the outer margin : 



Leaves sessile upon the rather stout conical 



stem-tubercles ; involucres 2J-3J lin. in 



diam. ; styles united into a column l^-lj 



lin. long, with short bifid tipa V^) hamata. 



