In seepage areas of savannahs, open slopes, pitcher plant bogs, in mud about 

 lakes and in boggy open pinelands in s.e. Tex., May-Sept.; from Fla. to Tex., n. 

 to N. J. 



Fam. 78. Euphorbiaceae Juss. Spurge Family 



Herbs, shrubs or trees; leaves opposite or alternate or whorled, usually stipulate 

 (but stipules commonly very small or caducous); highly variable as to inflores- 

 cence and flower form but the flowers are always unisexual; petals can be present 

 or absent; a lobate "disk" is commonly present at least in the pistillate flowers: 

 the ovary is nearly always 3-celled and each locule has a separate style which in 

 some species is deeply dissected; the placentation is axile and the ovules pendu- 

 lous, anatropous, with a ventral raphe; seeds 1 or 2 per cell, when 2 then col- 

 lateral; the micropyle in many species is covered by a caruncle; the fruit is usually 

 a capsule, when ripe the dorsal walls of the locules usually separate septicidally 

 from the central placental axis called the columella; seeds liberated through the 

 ventral (axile) openings of the locules which are in many species eventually 

 loculicidal. 



A vast and diverse family of over 200 genera and several thousand species. It 

 is said by some authors that most Euphorbiaceae are poisonous. A number of our 

 species are known to be toxic to livestock. The starchy, tuberous roots of Manihot 

 species replace grains as staple starchy crops in much of the hot, forested lowlands 

 of South America; these roots have to be specially treated, steeped, dried and 

 heated, before the edible materials (mandioca, cassava, tapioca) can be prepared 

 from them. The Brazilian rubber trees (genus Hevea) are widely planted in 

 Malaysia and Africa. The castor-bean (Ricinus) formerly was valuable for its oil. 

 Croton oil is prepared from species of Croton. Some species of the family are 

 valued as ornamentals (Breynia, Acalypha, Ricinus, Codiaeum, etc.) 



1. Stems and branches glabrous or slightly scabridulous; leaves oblong to elliptic 

 or obovate, entire, 3 cm. long or less; ovules 2 in each of the 3 cells 

 of the ovary, collateral; capsules glabrous 1. Phyllanthus 



1. Stems and branches with whitish more or less glandular-tipped spreading 

 hairs; leaves lanceolate, serrate, rarely less than 3 cm. long; ovules 

 1 in each cell; capsules glandular-setulose 2. Caperonia 



1. Phyllanthus L. Leaf-flower 



Trees, shrubs or herbs; branches persistent or deciduous (in the latter instance, 

 leaves on main stem then reduced to scales); leaves entire; petioles short; stipules 

 deciduous or persistent; male and female flowers borne on same plant in ours; 

 flowers usually axillary, solitary or in cymules, apetalous, gamosepalous; disk 

 usually present; staminate flowers with mostly 3 to 6 stamens, the filaments free 

 or connate; disk usually dissected; pistillode absent; pollen grains colporate (in 

 local taxa) ; pistillate flowers pedicellate or subsessile; calyx lobes usually 5 or 6, 

 entire; disk continuous or segmented (rarely absent); carpels 3 (in ours); ovules 

 2 in each locule, hemitropous; styles free or united, bifid or variously divided 

 or dilated; fruits capsular and ballistically dehiscent (indehiscent in some exotic 

 taxa); seeds usually 2 in each locule, collateral; seed coat dry and crustaceous; 

 endosperm copious; embryo straight or slightly curved. 



A polymorphic genus of some 700 species, best developed in the Old World 

 tropics. 



1. Filaments free; stems terete, not winged; capsule 1.7-2 mm. in diameter; seeds 

 0.8-1 mm. long 1. P. caroliniensis. 



1. Filaments connate; stems compressed-winged; capsule 2.9-3.2 mm. in diameter; 

 seeds 1.2-1.5 mm. long 2. P. pudens. 



1082 



