EUPHORBIACEAE 701 



long, thin, coarsely serrate except near the base, long-petioled : staminate and pistillate 

 flowers in the same axillary clusters ; staminate spike peduncled, usually included in the 

 large palmately lobed bract : pistillate flowers 1-3 at the base of the staminate peduncle : 

 capsules 3-lobed, subglobose, about 3 mm. in diameter, smooth, sometimes slightly pubes- 

 cent : seeds ovoid, reddish, striate. 



In woods and thickets, Ontario to Minnesota, Florida and Texas. 



4. Acalypha grdcilens A. Gray. Annual, pale green. Stems erect, 1-8 dm. tall, 

 slender, with very slender branches : leaf-blades lanceolate to linear-oblong, 1-5 cm. long, 

 acutish, rather firm, serrate, short -petioled : staminate spike very slender : pistillate flowers 

 one, or several together : capsules subglobose, about 3 mm. in diameter : seeds globose-ovoid, 

 striate-pitted, dark red or gray mottled with red. 



In dry woods and thickets, Massachusetts to Kansas, Florida and Texas. 



5. Acalypha rddians Torr. Perennial, densely villous. Stems tufted, ascending, 

 spreading or decumbent, 1-4 dm. long, commonly branched : leaf -blades reniform or orbic- 

 ular-reniform, 1-1.5 cm. broad, 7-15-cleft, the segments linear, lanceolate or oblong, obtuse 

 or acutish : petioles about as long as the blades or longer : spikes dioecious ; staminate linear- 

 cylindric, manifestly peduncled : pistillate spikes oblong-cylindric, sessile or short-pe- 

 duncled : bracts 9-10-toothed : capsules depressed, 2-2.5 mm. broad, hirsute : seeds oval or 

 ovoid, 1.5 ram. long, minutely pitted. 



In sandy soil, Texas and adjacent Mexico. 



6. Acalypha hederacea Torr. Perennial, softly pubescent. Stems tufted, ascending, 

 spreading or decumbent and diffuse, 1-4 dm. long, mostly forking above : leaf-blades tliick, 

 oval, orbicular or orbicular-reniform, 5-15 mm. long, crenate, truncate or cordate at the 

 base ; petioles somewhat shorter than the blades or longer : spikes mostly dioecious ; stam- 

 inate slender, long-peduncled ; pistillate sliort, with shorter peduncles than the staminate : 

 bracts 4-5 mm. long, densely pubescent, obtusely 8-10-toothed : capsules about 2 mm. 

 long, pubescent : seeds oval-ovoid, 1.5 mm. long, obscurely pitted, variegated. 



In low grounds, Texas and adjacent Mexico. 



7. Acalypha ostryaefolia Ridd. Annual, dark -green, minutely pubescent. Stems 

 erect, rather stout, simple or branched, 3-8 dm. tall : leaf-blades thin or membranous, ovate, 

 5-10 cm. long, short-acuminate, serrate, obtuse or cordate at the base ; petioles often as 

 long as the blades : staminate and pistillate flowers in separate spikes, the bractlets of the 

 staminate minute, those of the pistillate conspicuous, lobed : capsules much depressed, 

 3-4 mm. in diameter, spiny: seeds ovoid, 2 mm. long, wrinkled. \_A. Carolinuinn Ell.] 



In thickets and waste places, New Jersey to Kansas, Florida and Mexico. 



12. TRAGI A L. 



Perennial monoecious herbs or shrubs, sometimes climbing, usually armed with stiff 



stinging hairs. Leaves alternate : blades entire, toothed or somewhat lobed, mostly cordate, 



petioled. Flowers in racemes or spicate racemes, bracteolate, apetalous ; staminate with a 



calyx of 3-5 sepals, and 1-3 or rarely numerous stamens : pistillate flowers with a calyx of 



3-8 entire or pinnatifid sepals. Ovary 3-celled with one ovule in each cavity : styles 3, 



often united to above the middle. Capsule 3-lobed, separating into 3 2-valved carpels. 



Seeds subglobose. The plants flower from spring to fall. 



Stems not twining. 



Leaf-blades linear, entire. 1. T. linearifolia. 



Leaf-blades broader and manifestly broadest above or below the middle. 

 Leaves with more or less cuneately narrowed blades. 



Stems closely and softly pubescent : leaf-blades bluntly toothed or entire : 



racemes longer than the leaves. 2. T. ttrens. 



Stems essentially glabrous : leaf-blades sharply toothed : racemes shorter 



than the leaves. " 3. T. nigricans. 



Leaves, at least the lower ones, truncate or cordate at the base. 

 Leaf-blades of a triangular or lanceolate type. 

 Staminate calyx with 3 sepals : stamens 3. 



Stems hirsute : sepals of the staminate flowers ovate or oval : sepals 



of the pistillate flowers becoming 2-'2..5 mm. long. 4. T. tirticaefolia. 



Stems rather appressed-pubescent : sepals of the staminate flowers 

 lanceolate : sepals of the pistillate flowers becoming 3-3.5 mm. 

 long. 5. T. nrpetaefolia. 



Staminate calyx with 4-5 sepals : stamens 4-5. 6. T. ramosa. 



Leaf-blades of a suborbicular. oval or oblong type. 



Leaf-blades slender-petioled, cordate or subcordate at the base, the teeth 



sharp. 7. T. saxicola. 



Leaf- blades sessile or very short-petioled, obtuse or truncate at the base, 



the teeth rounded. 8. T. betonicaefolia. 



Stems twining. 9. T. macrocarpa. 



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