EUPHORBIACEAE. 211 



monadelphous below or diadelphous. Capsule membran- 

 ous, compressed, dehiscent along the margin; seeds 

 usually hairy. 



1. P. fishiae Parry. Very slender with few erect branches, 

 1-2 m. high, the stems green and glabrous or minutely and sparsely 

 strigose; leaves narrowly oblong, rounded or retuse, glabrous, 2-5 

 cm. long, on short petiole 2 mm. long; racemes terminating the 

 branches, 6-35-flowered; flowers whitish and yellowish with a tinge 

 of purple, 8-9 mm. long; wings purplish, finely ciliolate; keel yellow. 



Near Sulphur Springs, Ventura County, and on the Sierra Madre- 

 Mt. Wilson trail at about 3000 feet, a rare species, with these as the 

 only known localities in southern California. It was originally col- 

 lected in Lower California. 



Family 54. EUPHORBIACEAE. Spurge Family. 



Monoecious or dioecious herbs, shrubs or trees with 

 acrid, often milky juice. Leaves opposite, alternate or 

 whorled, entire or toothed, sessile or petioled, sometimes 

 with glands at the base; stipules present or wanting. 

 Inflorescence various. Flowers sometimes apetalous, 

 often reduced and subtended by an involucre, which 

 resembles a calyx. Stamens few or numerous, in 1 or 

 many series; filaments distinct or united. Ovary usu- 

 ally 3-celled; ovules 1-2 in each cell, pendulous; styles 

 equaling the cells in number, simple, divided or many- 

 cleft. Fruit mostly a 3-lobed capsule separating often 

 elastically into 3 2-valved carpels from a persistent axis. 

 Seeds anatropous; embryo straight or slightly curved; 

 endosperm fleshy or oily; cotyledons broad. 



Flowers with true calyx, not involucrate. 

 Stellate-pubescent. 



Perennial; capsule 3-celled; dioecious. L Croton. 



Annual; capsule 1-celled; monoecious. 2. Piscaria. 



Glabrous or nearly so. 



Leaves small, entire. 3. Stillingia. 



Leaves large, palmately lobed. 4. RiciNUS. 



Flowers subtended by an involucre; calyx repre- 

 sented by a minute scale at the base of the 

 filament-like pedicel. 

 Glands of the involucre with petal-like ap- 

 pendages. 5. Chamaesyce. 

 Glands of the involucre without petal-like ap- 

 pendages. 6. Tithymalus. 



