MAniuHOT. ] EUPHORBIACE. 117 
A handsome tree with polymorphous leaves and white flowers. It is 
a native of the Malay Archipelago, whenee it was introduced into 
India and is now largely grown in gardens. The edible seeds 
contain a large quantity of oil, which is used for cooking as well as 
medicinally. 
MANIHOT UTILISSIMA, Pohl. is the Bitter Cassava plant, from the 
pounded roots of which mandioc or cassava meal is prepared, also 
tapioca. It is a tall plant with tuberous roots and palmate leaves. 
It was introduced from 8S. America by the Portuguese and is occas 
sionally cultivated in Indian gardens. 
tO 
C. URTICACEZ. 
Herbs shrubs or trees. Leaves usually alternate, often oblique ; 
stipules various. Flowers cymose or in clusters, usually minute, 
moneecious or dicecious and sometimes 2-sexual or polygamous, 
often crowded on the surface of a fleshy flat concave or globose 
receptacle or (in Ficus) on the inner walls of a closed receptacle ; 
bracts usually small or none, but sometimes 2—4 or more in an in- 
volucre ; bracteoles small or none, but sometimes conspicuous. 
Perianth simple, calycine, regular or irregular, equally or unequally 
toothed lobed or partite, segments imbricate or valvate. Disk 
hypogynous, obscure or none. Stamens as many as and opposite 
the perianth-lobes, rarely fewer or more, filaments usually free at 
the base, anthers 2-celled. Pistillode in male flowers small or none. 
Ovary superior, l-celled, style often eccentric, simple or 2-fid, 
with stigmatose arms, or stigmas sessile, plumose or penicillate, 
ovule solitary. Fruit simple, as a drupe or samara, or of small 
free achenes, or compound in a confluent mass of perianths and 
pericarps. Seed erect, lateral or pendulous, testa membranous ; 
albumen copious scanty or none, embryo straight or curved.— 
Species 1,500 or more, chiefly in tropical and sub-tropical regions 
of the world. 
Plants with watery juice :— 
Anthers in bud erect; style 2-fid.; ovule 
pendulous :— 
Flowers usually 2-sexual or polygamous— 
Trees or shrubs with penninerved decid- 
uous leaves :— 
Fruit dry, samaroid 1, HOLOPTELEA, 
