C H I N A. 1751. 5 



ma is double, club-fhaped, trigonal. It grows 

 on dry places. 



Croton febifcrum. A little tree, which the 

 Chinefe call O-ka-o, and at firft fight looks like 

 an afp or a/pin {Popidus tremitla). The male 

 flower. The calyx is very fmall, bidentated: 

 the corolla is wanting: the filaments are nume- 

 rous, very ihort : the antbera are double, al- 

 moft round, erected : the female flowers fit be- 

 low the male ones, fix, feven, or more toge- 

 ther, on common peduncles : the calyx is tri- 

 fid, with pointed, erected fegments : the germeti 

 is oval : the three fly li are fomewhat reflected. 

 The tree is very branchy, and as high as a 

 man: the branches are round, fmooth, with 

 buds of leaves : the leaves are alternate, fmooth, 

 and like thofe of the Black Poplar-tree (Popu- 

 Ins nigra) : on the inferior fide they are fome- 

 what woolly, and have long, filiform, foftly 

 ftriazed pctioti, or foot-ftalks. The leaves have 

 about twelve veins, which on the lower fide 

 are ftronger: the flowers are yellow, fland at 

 the top ; the male and female in a corymbuj. 

 This tree is to be met with on the fhores and 

 ditches, though but feldom. Du Halde fays, 

 the fruit of the Candle-tree is covered with an 

 hard, lignous, fmooth, triangular ihell ; thefe 

 Shells contain three little feeds of the fize of 

 B 3 peafe, 



