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REDUCTION OF EUPHORBIA BOTHIANA, Sprengel, 

 OF THE INDIAN FLORAS. 



BY 



L. J, Sedgwick, f.l.s., i.c.s. 



it has always been a problem whether or not iv. Rothiana, Spreng., of the 

 Indian Floras, includes plants referable to more than one species. Wight 

 in his Icones while assigning that name to his specimens collected on the 

 western mountains expressed a doubt as to its correctness, and referred 

 also to the plant described by Heyne in Roth's Nov. PI. Spec. 230 s. n. 

 ii'. Iceta. which he held to be a rather rare variety. Boissier in DeCandoUe's 

 Prodromus, ten years later, described separately E. Rothiana, Spreng., and 

 E. oreophila, Miq. Hooker reunited these two species under the former 

 name, holding that the characters by which, Boissier had distinguished E. 

 oreophila, Miq., did not hold ^good, " the organs to which they refer being 

 extremely variable." 



From personal observation, however, I am convinced that these are two 

 totally distinct species, one of the mountains, and the other of the plains. 

 The former may be either a perennial or a fast-growing annual ; the latter 

 is certainly an annual, and is a cold-weather associate of winter crops, 

 being extremely abundant in the Dharwar District, both on the black-soil 

 and among winter crops in the ricefields, but not on stony or gravelly 

 kharif lands. 



Very elaborate descriptions only tend to confuse, and while obscuring 

 the salient features often result in errors creeping in through attention to 

 the peculiarities of one or a few individuals. I therefore give the main 

 distinguishing characters only. 



1. E. laeta, Reijne in Roth. Nov. PI. Spec. 230 (1821). 



A weak, glabrous, succulent, erect annual + 1 ft. high, entirely green. 

 Stem with a few adventitious branches from the axils of the alternate 

 stem-leaves ; terminating in a constant ivhorl of three leaves. Branches 

 above the crown always three. Subsequent branching dichotomous. Stem- 

 leaves alternate, sessile, flaccid, spreading, narrowly and exactly linear, 

 + 2| X 3 in. ; suddenly rounded at the base. Crown-leaves linear-lanceolate 

 ±2 X ^ in. Leaves subtending the dichotomous branchlets ovate-trian- 

 gular, sub-trilobed, + f in., and as broad as long, connate at the base below 

 the rounded auricles, with strong midrib and very numerous radiating 

 basal nerves. Involucres solitary, glabrous without and glabrate within ; 

 glands tvith more than 2 short projecting points. Capsule glabrous, deeply 

 3-lobed ; seeds smooth, from white to lead-coloured, with a very large white, 

 fleshy arillode. 



Synonyms. — E. Rothiana, Spreng. Syst. Veg. Ill 796 (1826). Boiss, in 

 r>C. Prodr.^ 15. part II. p. 156. Dalz. and Gibs. Bomb. Fl. p. 226 (in 

 part). Hooker Fl. B. I. V. p. 263 (in part). Cooke, Fl. Bomb. II. p. 564 

 (in part). E. segetalis, Grab. Cat. 179 (probably ; not of Willd.). It will be 

 seen that Heyne's name has five years' priority over Sprengel's. 



DiSTKiBuxiON. — An annual weed of cultivation on black soil fields and 

 rice fields sown with winter crops. Bombay Carnatic, and probably over 

 a wider range. Firs. Jan. -Mar. 



2. E. oreophila, Miq. Analect. Bat. III. 17. e.r Boiss. in DC. Prodr. V. 15. 

 Pt. II. p. 156. 



A strong, erect, glabrous herb, 4^ 2 ft. high. Stem sub-iooody, often tinged 

 with red, ending in a crown- whorl of Jf, or onore leaves. Branches above the 



