452 EUPHORBIACE^. (SPURGE FAMILY.) 



6. Flowers in terminal racemes or spikes. Stamens inflexed in the hud. Stellate-downy or 

 scurfy, or hairy and glandular; leaves mostly entire. 



5. Croton. Flowers spiked or glomerate. Ovary and fruit 3- (rarely 2 - 4-) celled. 



6. Crotonopsis. Flowers scattered on the branchlets. Ovary and fruit 1-ceiled. 



c. Flowers in axiUary spikes or racemes (except n. 9), apetalous (except n. 7). St-imens 8 or 



more ; anthers erect in the bud. 



7. Argytliamnia. Petals and sepals 5. Stamens 10-15, united. Styles bifid, linear. 



8. Acalypha. Calyx 4- (3-5-) parted. Stamens mostly 8. Fertile flowers in the axils 



of leafy bracts. Stigmas finely dissected. 



9. Ricinus. Racemes terminal, subpanicled. Calyx 3-5-parted. Stamens very numei'^ 



ous ; the filaments repeatedly branched. Styles 2-parted. 



d. Flowers apetalous, in racemes or spikes pistillate at base. Stamens 2 or 3. Styles simple 



10. Tragia. Flowers racemose. Calyx-lobes valvate in bud. Hirsute or pubescent. 



11. Stillingia. Flowers spicate. Calyx-lobes imbricate in bud. FertUe bracts glandu- 



liferous. Glabrous. 



1. EUPHdRBIA, L. Spurge. 



Flowers monoecious, included in a cup-shaped 4-5-lobed involucre [flower 

 of older authors) resembling a calyx or corolla, and usually bearing large 

 thick glands (with or without petal-like margins) at its sinuses. Sterile flow- 

 ers numerous and lining the base of the involucre, each from the axil of a little 

 bract, and consisting merely of a single stamen jointed on a pedicel like the 

 filament ; anther-cells globular, separate. Fertile flower solitary in the middle 

 of the involucre, soon protruded on a long pedicel, consisting of a 3-lobed and 

 3-celled ovary with no calyx, or a mere vestige. Styles 3, each 2-cleft ; the 

 stigmas therefore 6. Pod separating into 3 1-seeded carpels, which split elas- 

 tically into 2 valves. Seed often caruncled (ours only in §§ 5 and 6). — Plants 

 (herbs in the United States), with a milky acrid juice. Peduncles terminal, 

 often umbellate-clustered ; in the first section mostly appearing lateral, but 

 not really axillary. (Named after Euphorbus, physician to King Juba.) 



A, Glands of the involucre with petal-like, usually white or rose-colored, margins 

 or appendages ; these almost obsolete in n. I. 



§ 1 ANISOPHYLLUM. Leaves all opposite, short-petioled , small, oblique at 

 base ; stipules awl-shaped or seal// and often fringed, persistent ; stems much 

 branched, spreading or usualli/ procumbent; involucres solitary in the forks 

 or in terminal or pseudo-lateral clusters, small, with 4 glands; seeds ash- 

 colored {except in n. 10) ; annuals. 



* Seeds smooth and even ; leaves entire ; ichole plant glabrous. 



1. E. polygonifolia, L. Prostrate-spreading; leaves oblong-linear, oro 

 tuse, mucronate, slightly cordate or obtuse at base (4 - 8" long) ; stipules seta- 

 ceously divided ; peduncles in the forks, as long as the petioles ; lobes of tlie 

 involucre longer than the minute not appendaged glands ; pods obtusely angled ; 

 seeds ovate (over 1" long, the largest of this section). — Sandy shores of the 

 Atlantic and of the Great Lakes. 



2. E. Geyeri, Engelm. Procumbent; leaves ohlong-ovafe, obtuse, sWghtly 

 mucronate, mostly acutish at base, lowermost cordate (3-6" long) ; stipules 

 setaoeously divided; peduncles as long as the ]ietioles, at length in loose foli- 

 aceous lateral clusters ; glands with narrow white or red appendages ; pods 



