[ 



Uu2)horb{a,] euphorbiace^ (Brown). 373 



Described partly from a descendant of the type plant, whicli, introduced by 



Bowie in 1822, is still flourishing at Kew^ where a drawing of the original plant 



from which Haworth described is also preserved. The plant fii^ured by Sim, in 



the Forest Flora of Cape Colony, t, 141, fig. 1, as E. yrandidens ii E. triayujalans, 

 Desf. 



180, E. tetragona (HaAv. in Phil. Mag. 1827, 276); a tree, up to 

 40 ft. high, sometimes with a single trunk up to 6 in. thick^ some- 

 times also with 3-5 trunk-like branches ascending from near the 

 base, slightly 6-8-angled, each with a short broad crown of 

 spreading or ascending-spreading succulent spiny leafless branches 

 and branchlets, usually clustered in Avhorl-like groups, naked below 

 from the branches being deciduous ; main branches at first about 1, 

 ultimately 2 in. or more thick, usually 4-6-angled ; flowering 

 branchlets |— 1 in. thick, usually 4-5- (sometimes 3-) angled, with 

 concave or nearly flat sides, with or without a few constrictions, 

 rather light green ; angles slightly toothed, with the teeth ^-| in. 

 apart, armed with spines on young and the lower branches of old 

 trees, but sometimes on old trees the spine-shields are yearly or 

 quite spineless; leaves rudimentary, scale-like; spine-shields 1^—4 

 lin. long, separate, not forming a continuous horny margin to the 

 angles, lanceolate, cuneate or obovate, bearing a pair of widely 

 diverging spines 1-6 lin. long, without prickles at their base, light 

 brown, finally grey ; flowering-eyes touching or partly or wholly 

 included in the spine-shields; cymes solitary, with a peduncle about 

 1 lin. long, bearing 3 involucres and some small scale-like bracts ; 

 involucres l|-2 lin. in diam., obconic, yellow, with 5 transverse 

 narrowly oblong entire yellow glands; OA*ary subglobose, exserted 

 on a pedicel not exceeding the involucre, light green ; styles free 

 to the base, apparently about \ lin. long, ascending-spreading, 

 subentire at the apex, dull ochreous. Boiss, in DO, Prodr. xv, ii. 

 84; Berger, Sulk. Euphorh, 58; Marloth in Wissenscli. Ergehn, 

 Deiilsch Tiefsee-Exped. ii. iii. 57, Jig, 6. 



Coast Region : Albany Div. ; Zuurberg Range, near Alicedale, Marloth, 4381 i 

 Queenstown Wiv. ; valley of the Zwart Kei River near its junction with the White 

 Kei River, abundant, Galpin, SlOO ! East London Div. ; dry banks near East 

 London, Rattray, 381 ! Marloth, 4381 ! also cidtivated ^jyedmensl 



According to a note received from Mr. Galpin, this is the only arborescent spej?ies 

 in Queenstown Di\'ision, and he states that it also occurs in Cathcart Div., King 

 Williamstown Div., and Tembulaud, but I have not seen specimens from any of 

 these regions. 



E. tetrayona of Sim's Forest Flora of Cape Colony, 316, t. 141, fig. iii., is a 

 mixture of at least 2 and probably 3 distinct species, of which only that repre- 

 sented on t. 141, fig. iii. 4, api^ears to belong to the true E. tetragona. , 



As I have not seen flowers of this species, my description of them is from a 

 drawing made in 1830 from the type plant described by Haworth, all the specimens 

 quoted are barren. 



Described partly from the type plant (or a portion of it) which still flourishes at 

 Kew, partly from notes and photographs kindly supplied by Mr. E. E. Galpin. 



