94 



Euphorbia Tirucalli.— When working up the Tropical African 

 species of EwpJiorhia I came to the conclusion that the plant 

 described and figured in Eeede, Hortus Malabaricus, vol. 2, p. 85, 

 t. 44, under the name of Tiru Calli, and upon which Euphorbia 

 Tirucalli, Linn, was founded, could not be the same as any 



mo 



of flowering in the forks of the branches and in its pedicellate 

 flowers. _ At that time the flowers of the true E. Tirucalli of India 

 were quite unknown to me, none being present upon any her- 



specimens I had seen. Subsequently, however, flowers of 



lum 



from India bv M 



Fischer, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Madras, which amply 

 demonstrate that I was wrong in my conclusion that the plant 

 which I have described under the name of EupJiorhia media in the- 

 Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. 6, pt. 1, p. 556, was distinct from 

 E. Tirucalli, Linn., as I now find upon comparison with the 

 Indian specimens that E. media is unquestionably the same as E. 

 Tirucalli and must rank as a synonym of that species. 



Probably E. Tirucalli was introduced into India by the Portu- 

 guese from some part of East Africa, where it extends from 

 German East Africa southwards as far as the Transkei in South 

 Africa_, growing as a big bush or tree up to 20 ft. high. 



In Xatal there is an extensive forest of E. Tirucalli, and about 

 1910, Dr. Aurel Schultz, of Durban, stated that rubber of good 

 quality could be extracted from it by a process he had invented. 

 In consequence of his researches and report a company has been 



om 



formed ^ „„^ 



ance is now established in INTatal. 



trees is imported in the raw state to England, where the rubber 

 is freed from the resinous and other matters mixed with it and 

 then mixed with rubber of a better quality and used for making 

 tyres for bicycles and motor cars. 



The milky sap of E. Tirucalli produces a very disagreeable 

 burning sensation when applied to the skin and affects some 

 people more than others. Dr. J. Medley Wood, the Director of 



Natal H 



The 



my 



hvmg at Inanda. I simply broke off a small portion of the end of 

 a branch when showing it to a lady, and suff'ered excruciating pa in- 

 fer nearly the whole of the night. All I could do was to bathe 



than 20 miles." 



moi 



N 



Botanical Magazine for February.— The plants figured are- 



Ampelopsis megalophylla, Diels & Gilg (t. 8537); Aciinidia 

 chinensis, Planch, (t. 8538); Smilacina paniculata, Mart. & GaL 

 (t. 8bd9) ; Rondeletia cordata, Benth. (t. 8540) and Viola gracilis, 

 Sibth. &Sm. (t. 8541). . .- ■ 



Ampelopsis megalophylla is a remarkably vigorous Vine, pro- 

 ducing growths eight to ten feet lonn- in a single summer, and has: 

 extraordinarily large leaves, sometimes neaily three feet long. 



