APETALEE. 277 
Offcinal Plants, be 
Euphorbia officinarum. Croton Tiglium. 
Croton Cascarilla. . Ricinus communis. 
Poisonous Prorertres,—Many plants in this family are 
very active poisons ; the milky juice in which they abound is 
very deleterious, and almost all are more or less dangerous ; 
many of the valuable medicines which we find in this family 
would be poisonous in large doses. The Manchin Eel tree 
(Hippomane mancinella), which has a very poisonous juice, and. 
is said to be capable of poisoning persons who may happen 
to sleep beneath it, is in this family. Dr. Hooker mentions 
that Irish Spurge (Euphorbia hiberna) “ is extensively used 
by the peasantry of Kerry for poisoning or rather stupifying. 
fish, in the same manner as the exotic E. piscatoria. Se 
powerful are its qualities, that a small creel or basket filled 
with the bruised plant, suffices to poison the fish for several — 
miles down a river.” The juice of Excecaria Agallocha, 
and of Hura crepitans, is very deleterious. The fruit of 
Hyenanche globosa, according to Dr. Ainslie, is used at the 
Cape of Good Hope to poison hyenas. The various species 
of Iatropha, and indeed most of the plants in this family, are 
highly poisonous when taken in considerable doses. 
ORDER XLL 
URTICEA, 
Cuanacrers, —Trees, shrubs, or herbs with alternate sti. 
Pulate leaves ; flowers monecious or dicecious, in clusters or 
; calyx sometimes monosepalous, deeply divided, 
sometimes polysepalous, generally persistent, accompanying 
the fruit ; stamens apis os ee 
anthers a when dehiscing ; eats 
