THE SPURGE FAMILY 125 



the axil of the highest leaf, which, pushing aside the terminal 

 inflorescence, continues growing in the direction of the main axis 

 (sympodial )3ranching). The lower flowers in the panicle only 

 staminate, and the upper ones only pistillate (monoecious flowers). 

 Staminate and pistillate flowers with one floral envelope of three 

 to five sepals. Stamens much branched, and every branchlet 

 terminating in a complete anther. Pistil of three carpels with 

 a large prickly ovary and three long forked red stigmas. Fruit 

 a prickly capsule with three one-seeded cells opening loculicidally 

 with an explosion and throwing the seeds out. 



Other Spurges. 



The Purging Nut (Jatropha ciircas; Kan. Adaluharalu), a 

 common shrub in hedges; the Coral Plant {J atropha multifida) , 

 a pretty garden-plant with multifid leaves and small red flowers 

 (with calyx and corolla) ; the Tapioca {Mauihot utilissima; Kan. 

 Maragenasu) with an abundant deposit of starch in its swollen 

 roots; the Ceara Rubber Tree (Maniliot Glaziovii) which is 

 cultivated for its milky juice, like the Para Rubber Tree {Hevea 

 brasiUensis)\ then the "Croton" Plants {Codkeum variegatum), 

 often cultivated in gardens on account of its leaves, which are 

 variable in shape, motlled and variegated with red yellow and 

 green; Sapium insigne, a middle-sized tree on rocky soil with 

 rugged bark and horizontal branches, leafless from January to 

 April, succulent during the rains; and Macaranga indica {Kan. 

 Uppalige; Tarn. Uttata), an evergreen tree with peltate leaves: 

 all these, more or less common in South India, have flowers of a 

 similar structure. 



A difterent type of flower we find in the Genus Euphorbia. 

 Here they are arranged in heads resembling a single flower, 

 consisting of a calyx-like involucre with four to five lobes alter- 

 nating with fleshy glands, enclosing a number of male and one 

 central female flower. The male flow^er consists of one anther 

 supported by a jointed filament, the joint indicating the base of 

 the flower, from which in allied species the perianth is developed. 

 Of this genus we may mention E. nivulia {Kan. Belikalli), 

 E. tirucalli (the Milk Hedge; Kan. Kodukalli), E. inhdijera (the 



