Euphorbia EUPHORBIACEAE Acalypha 



7. Euphorbia heterophylla Linn. Mexican Fire Plant M^ (Hsing Hsing Ts'ao; 

 Ape Herb) (B.M. 618). Erect annual, to lm.; fls. VII- VIII. Introduced from the 

 Americas; locally in Ku. Planted, ornamental. 



8. Euphorbia helioscopia Linn. Sun Spurge W(M (Tse Ch'i; Glossy-paint) (G.M. 

 967). Succulent herb, to 4dm.; fls. IV-V; fr. V-VI. Introduced from Europe; 

 locally in An., Ku. Roadsides and field margins. Fig. 209. 



9. Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr. Wartweed ;*;gfc (Ta Chi; Big-lance) (Mak.F. 375). 

 Erect herb, 5-10 dm. high; fls. V-VIII; fr. VII-X. North China, Korea, Japan; 

 locally in An., Ki., Ku. Grassland. 



10. Euphorbia esula Linn. %%% (Ju Chiang Ts'ao; Milky-liquid Herb) (G.M. 968). 

 Erect herb, to 30 cm.; fls. IV; fr. V; bracts of infl. reniform, yellow-green. 

 Northern Eurasia; locally in An., Ku. Grassland. 



11. Euphorbia lunulata Bunge var. souchouensis Hurusawa (J.J.B. 16:398). Erect 

 perennial, 1-4 dm. high; fls. V-VI; fr. VI- VII. North China, Manchuria, Korea; 

 locally in Ku. Grassland slopes. 



12. Euphorbia aff. kansuensis J. Proch. 1t3f (Kan Sui; Agreeable-length) (Bu. URSS 

 VI. 21:203). Erect herb, to 0.8 m.; fls. I V-VI; fr. V-VIII. China; locally in Ku. 

 Grassland. 



Hurusawa's Euphorbia formosana Hayata var. kiangsuensis (Journ. Jap. Bot. 16 (1940) 579) 

 is regarded by Croizat (1. c. 17 (1941) 578) as "a straight synonym" of E. sampsoni Hance. 

 Croizat also states that "the northern Chinese plants (E. pekinensis) would seem to have con- 

 stantly a larger seed than the southern ones (E. sampsoni), but they are unquestionably con- 

 nected by numerous intermediates " Neither E. formosana var. kiavgsuensis or E. 



sampsoni has been separated here from E. pekinensis Rupr. 



Croizat (1. c. 576) does not agree with Hurusawa (1. c. 16:456) in his assertion that "all 

 the Asiatic plants known as Euphorbia esula belong to quite distinct species from the Lin- 

 naean Euphorbia esula in Europe." It has seemed best to retain the name E. esula for the 

 plants formerly known under this heading. 



Croizat (1. c. 17:574) regards Hurusawa's Euphorbia lunulata Bunge var. souchouensis 

 (1. c. 16:398) as synonymous with Hemsley's E. hippocrepica. Handel-Mazzetti, in turn, con- 

 siders E. hippocrepica to be identical with Hemsley's E. erythraea (Symb. Sin. 7:232). As to 

 specimens from our area, we have not been able to separate these species desci ibed by Hemsley 

 from E. lunulata. 



11. Ricinus Linn. Castor Oil Plant ~&MU (Pei Ma Shu) 

 A coarse erect monoecious annual, becoming a shrub or tree in tropical count- 

 ries: Ivs. large, alternate, peltate, palmately lobed: infl. in terminal panicles: fls. 

 apetalous, the upper pistillate; stamens numerous; ovary 3-celled: fr. an cchinate 

 capsule with one seed to each cell. One species, widely distributed. (The Latin 

 name.) 



1. Ricinus communis Linn. Castor Oil Plant %M (Pei Ma) (B.M. 621). Tree-like 

 herb, to 5m.; fls. VII-VIII; fr. IX-X. Introduced from tropical Africa; locally in 

 Ku. Cultivated, medicinal, the seeds yield castor oil. Fig. 210. 



12. Acalypha Linn. Copper-leaf ^MMU (T'ieh Hsien Ts'ai Shu; 



Iron-Amaranth Genus) 

 Herbs (ours), shrubs or trees with small alternate simple pinnately veined Ivs.: 

 infl. in axillary spikes: pistillate fls. subtended by foliaceous bracts; stamens 8-many; 

 ovary and smooth capsule 3-celled. About 300 species, tropical and subtropical; 5 in 



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