238 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



The glands are crescent-shaped or triangular, with 

 long points, which are convergent. The capsule is 

 round, smooth, with minute dots. The seeds are 

 round, or more or less so, and smooth, acute, grey. 



In height Wood Spurge varies from a few inches 

 to 2i ft. It flowers from March to May, and is a 

 herbaceous perennial. 



The flowers contain honey which is freely exposed 

 in the glands of the involucre. The anthers ripen 

 after the stigmas, ^closing when it is wet. Flies 

 pollinate the flowers, but bees and wasps also visit 

 them. 



The capsule is explosive, the carpels splitting by 

 an elastic movement away from the axis and con- 

 tiguous carpels, as in a schizocarp {cf. the Mallows). 



The names by which this plant is known are 

 Deer's Milk, Mare's Tail, Wood Spurge. 



The milk of the Spurges was formerly used as a 

 remedy for warts. 



Euphorbia amygdaloides. — The illustration {Fig. 

 67) shows the umbel with rays of flowers, the yellow, round 

 bracts, and some axillary flowers below the terminal 

 umbel. 



Box {Buxus sempervirens). 



The Greeks called a box made of Boxwood, puxis 

 (or puxos, box), hence the first Latin name. The 

 second Latin name has reference to its evergreen 

 character. 



The Box has a wide distribution in the British 



