147-2 
as follows: Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with milky, acrid, and mostly poisonous juice. 
Leaves commonly simple; stpules present. Luflorescence various ; flowers monce- 
cious or dicecious, sometimes achlamydeous, often with scaly or gland-like append- 
ages. Calyx 3-several cleft or wanting. eéa/s mostly wanting. S¢amens one or 
many, distinct or monadelphous; axthers 2-celled. Ovary free, usually 3-celled ; 
ovules usually single, sometimes two, hanging from the summit of each cell; sézg- 
mas as many or twice as many as the cells of the ovary. /Avruzt generally a 3-lobed 
capsule; carpels separating elastically from the persistent axis, and elastically 
splitting into two valves. Sveds anatropous; embryo straight, axial; a/bumen 
fleshy and oily. 
Beside the five species treated of in this work, we have provings of sixteen 
other plants of this order, viz.: The Indian Cupament (Acalypha Indica, Linn.) ; 
the European and Asiatic Box (Buxus sempervirens, Linn.) ; the Spanish Casca- 
rilla, the bark of Croton Eleuterta, Bennett; Cassada, the root of the Brazilian 
Fatropha manchot, Linn.; Croton Oil, a product of the seeds of the India and Cey- 
lon Croton Tiglium, Lam.; the English Spurge (Zuphorbia amygdaloides, Linn.) ; 
the Cypress Spurge of England, £. cyfarissias, Linn.; the British Petty Spurge. 
(£. Peplus, Linn.) ; Euphorbium, the resinous exudation of the North African 
E, resinifera, Berg.; Assacu, the juice of the Brazilian Hura Braziliensis, Willd. ; 
the Cuban Physic Nut (atropha Curcas, Linn.); the Brazilian Stinging Physic 
Nut (¥. wrens), considered to be the most poisonous plant known; the European 
Dog’s Mercury (Mercurialis perennis, Linn.) ; the West Indian Manzanillo (Hip- 
pomanes Manzinella, Linn.), under the shade of which men are said to die; and 
Castor Oil, the expressed oil of the seeds of Ricinus communts, Linn. 
Among the numerous other plants of the order used in general practice, the 
following will prove of special interest: The Oriental Kamela (Mal/otus philippen- 
sis, Miill.), a purgative noted as a teenicide; the Indian sudorific and cathartic, 
Cicca disticha, Willd.; and Emblica officinalis, Gaertn. The root and leaves of the 
Indian and South American Phyl/lanthus Niruri, Linn., are considered deobstruent 
and diuretic, a decoction of the leaves and seeds is said by Martius to be con- 
sidered a specific cure for diabetes in Brazil; the Indian P. urizaria, Linn., is also. 
_a powerful diuretic; while P. wrosus, Willd., of the same country, is used to intoxi- 
cate fish. The seed-coat of the Indian Cluytia collina, Roxb., is claimed to be 
powertully: toxic; and the bark of C. spinosa, Roxb., is astringent and vermifugal. 
Turnsole is a purple dye procured from the Mediterranean acrid and corrosive 
drastic Croton tinctorium, Linn.; Mexican Cascarilla, or Copalchi, is the bark of 
Groton Pseudo-China, Schi.: the Indian C, Pavana, Hamilt., is used as a producer 
_of Croton Oil, and is supposed to be the original Tilly-seed; one of the finest kinds 
of Dragon's s blood, is derived from the Mexicin C. Draco, Schi.; this substance is 
also obtained from the New Granadian C. hibisci ifolius, H. B. K,, and C. sangui- 
Solius, H. B. K., of New Andalusia; several other cathartics, or, more properly, 
__ purgatives, are derived from this genus, of which the Ceylon C. /aceiferum, Linn., 
: — and C. suberosum, H. B. K., of Peru, are prominent; in Brazil C. campestris, = 
en St same ne partic pe St. Heil., are e used in syphilis ; and & oe ant- 
