EUPHORBIA OFFICINARUM. ORD. XXXIX. Tricocce. 75 
Class XXI. Monoecia. Order I. Monandria. (Dedecandna, Trigynia, Lin.) 
Nat. Ord. Tricocce, Lin. Euphorbie, Juss. Euphorbiacexr, Adr. Juss. 
Gen. Char. Involucre, of one piece, including several barren flowers, and 
one fertile. Barr. Fl. A single stamen, without calyx or corolla. Fert. Fl. 
A single pistil, without calyx, (or, rarely, a very minute one) or corolla. 
Germen three-lobed ; styles three-cleft ; capsule three-seeded. 
Spec. Char. Aculeated, naked, many-angled ; prickles in pairs, spreading, 
equal. 
THE stem of this plant rises four or five feetin height, simple, or branched 
towards the top, erect, angled, or furrowed with eight or more longitudinal 
fissures ; the branches go offfirst horizontally, and then ascend ; they are more 
distinctly angled than the stem, the angles notched, and furnished with 
prickles, which are every where in pairs ; these branches are every where des- 
titute of leaves. The involucres are sessile, and arise at the extremities of 
the branches, in the axils of the spines. The involucre is monophyllous, 
bell-shaped, persistent, and divided into eight or ten teeth or segments, of 
which the four or five outer are thick, yellow, obtuse, spreading; four or five 
alternate and inner ones, smaller, obtuse, entire, and directed inwards. 
Barren or male flowers about twelve, each consisting of a single capillary 
filament, which supports a globular, two-lobed anther. Fertile or female 
flower, a Single naked pistil; the germen roundish, three-lobed, supporting a 
short, simple style, crowned with three spreading obtuse stigmas, The cap- 
sule is tricoccous, elastic, and contains three roundish seeds. Figure (@) re- 
presents the flower, (4) the germen and styles, 
The genus Euphorbia comprises a very numerous tribe of singular plants. 
Upwards of 200 species are described by authors, and 120 are cultivated in 
our Botanic gardens.* The Euphorbia officinarum is a perennial, shrubby, 
and very succulent plant; a native of Africa, where it grows in great abun- 
dance. It is the Aévépor cipopBioy of Dioscorides, and derived its appellation 
‘from Euphorbius, physician to Juba, king of Lybia, who named it in honour 
of his physician.+ This plant was first cultivated in Britain about the year 
* Fourteen species of this genus are natives of Britain. 
+ Antonius Musa and Euphorbus were brothers; the former, physician to Augustus 
Cesar, the latter to Juba, king of Lybia. Czsar raised a statue to Musa—Juba named 
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