362 EUPHORBIACEAE. [Vor. II. 
1. Phyllanthus Carolinénsis Walt. Carolina Phyllanthus. (Fig. 2289. ) 
Phyllanthus Carolinensis Walt. F1. Car. 228. 1788. 
Phyllanthus obovatus Willd. Sp. Pl. 4: 574. 1805. 
Annual, dark green, glabrous. Stem slender, 
erect, or ascending, 4’-20’ high, simple or 
branched, the branches 2-ranked; leaves obovate, 
or oblong, 3/’-10’’ long, obtuse, narrowed to a 
very short petiole, or subsessile; flowers incon- 
spicuous, nearly sessile in the axils; calyx 6- 
parted, its lobes linear, or oblong; stamens 3; 
styles 3, each 2-cleft; glands of the pistillate 
flower more or less united; capsule about 1// in 
diameter; seeds nearly %’’ long, marked with 
lines and minute black papillae. 
In sandy or gravelly soil, eastern Pennsylvania to 
Illinois, Florida, Texas and Central America. May- 
Oct. 
2. CROTON L. Sp. Pl. 1004. 1753. 
Herbs or shrubs, monoecious or rarely dioecious, strong-scented, stellate-pubescent, more 
or less glandular. Leaves mostly alternate, entire, toothed or lobed, sometimes with 2 glands 
at the base of the blade. Flowers in axillary or terminal clusters, often spicate or racemose. 
Staminate flowers uppermost; calyx 4-6-parted (usually 5-parted); petals usually present, 
but small or rudimentary, alternating with glands; stamens 5 or more, inflexed. Pistillate 
flowers clustered below the staminate; calyx 5~-10-parted; petals usually wanting; ovary 
mostly 3-celled; ovule 1 in each cavity; styles once, twice or many times 2-cleft. Capsule 
splitting into 2-4 (usually 2) 2-valved carpels. Seeds 1 in each carpel, smooth, or minutely 
pitted. Embryo straight in the fleshy endosperm. [The Greek name of the Castor-oil plant. ] 
About 600 species, mostly of warm and tropical regions, a few in the temperate zones; some of 
high medicinal value. 
Plants monoecious. 
Leaves toothed; staminate calyx 4-lobed, pistillate 5-lobed. 1. C. glandulosus. 
Leaves entire; staminate calyx 3-5-lobed, pistillate 5-12-lobed. 
Capsules clustered, erect, depressed-globose, 3''—3!s'' broad. 2. C. capttatus. 
Capsules mostly solitary, nodding, ovoid, or oblong-ovoid, 2''-2!s"' long. 
A 3. C. monanthogynus. 
Plant dioecious. 4. C. Texensts. 
1. Croton glandulodsus L. Glandular 
Croton. (Fig. 2290.) 
Croton glandulosus I,. Amoen, Acad. 5: 409. 1760. 
Annual, monoecious, usually dark green, rough 
with stellate hairs, and somewhat glandular. 
Stem erect or assurgent, rather slender, 8’-244° 
high, corymbosely branched, or nearly simple; 
leaves oblong, linear-oblong or ovate, 14/-3/ long, 
coarsely serrate, bearing 2 glands at the base of 
the blade; petiole shorter than the blade; flower- 
clusters terminal or axillary, the staminate in 
spikes, with a 4-parted calyx, 4 petals, a 4-rayed 
glandular disk and 8 stamens; pistillate flowers 
several at the base of the staminate, with 5 sepals, 
rudimentary petals, and 3 2-cleft styles; capsule 
subglobose, about 2%’’ in length; seeds oblong, 
minutely wrinkled. 
In sandy soil, Virginia to Iowa and Kansas, south 
to Florida and Central America. Also in the West 
Indies and South America. March-—Dec. 
