Euphorbia. dodecandria trigynia. 469 



leaf from the apex of each tubercle. Peduncles three- 

 flowered. This pretty species of Euphorbia was brought 

 from the Molucca Islands to the Botanic garden at Cal- 

 cutta in 1798, where it thrives well, and blossoms in Fe- 

 bruary, March, and April. 



Stem erect, three-sided, with a few scattered, ascending, 

 smooth, deep green, succulent branches ; these are all 

 three-sided, with the angles considerably extended into 

 large, scollop-toothed tubercles ; the extremity of each 

 is armed with two short, sharp spines, and like the rest 

 of the family every part abounds with much acrid, milky 

 juice ; the general height of the plants, when ten years old, 

 six or seven feet. Leaves solitary, one between each 

 pair of spines at the end of the tubercles, sessile, wedge- 

 shaped, entire, smooth on both sides, having the upper 

 side of a deep green, and being much paler underneath, 

 from one to two inches long, and less than half that in 

 breadth. Stipules, on the upper side of the base of each 

 spine, is a small, somewhat acute, hard, brown gland, 

 not unlike the spines themselves, but much smaller. Pe- 

 duncles from the sinuses on the angles of the branches, 

 short, thick, generally three-flowered, the main one ses- 

 sile, containing five fascicles ofstaminary male florets 

 only ; the lateral pedicelled flowers, contain one female 

 and five male florets. Calyx in both five-parted ; segments 

 two-edged, entering the calyx below its fissures, roundish, 

 jagged, incurvate over the male and hermaphrodite flow- 

 ers, there are five segments of the male florets those are 

 in fascicles of about six each, lengthening and expand- 

 ing in succession, these are also surrounded by several 

 muliitid .scales, or petals. Anthers of two round lobes. 

 Germ superior, short-pedicelled, ovate, three-sided, tliree- 

 celletj. With one seed in each, attached to the top of the 

 axis. Style short, half three-cleft. Stigmas emarginate. 

 The ripe seed not fuund. 



