DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME COMMON WEEDS 



195 



shaped, four to five-lobed involucre, which resembles a 

 calyx or corolla, and bears glands between the divisions ; 

 the numerous staminate flowers consist, each, of a single 

 jointed stamen and a filament-like pedicel; the solitary 

 pistillate flower sit 

 uated at the bottom 

 of the involucre, con- 

 sists of a three-lobed 

 style and three-celled 

 ovary, usually with- 

 out a calyx; at ma- 

 turity, the capsule 

 breaks into a three- 

 lobed, one - seeded 

 carpel ; seeds vari- 

 ously pitted on the 

 surface raised by 

 numerous excres- 

 cences. 



The spurges are 

 represented much 

 more numerously in 

 the warmer regions 

 than in the temper- 

 ate zone. In the 

 family are a few 

 weeds, some orna- 

 mental and useful 

 plants, and a num- 

 ber of very poisonous species, 

 pecially interesting to residents of the Mississippi Valley 

 are the following: 



Large Spotted Spurge (E. Preslii, Guss.). An annual, 

 like the following, but growing erect and tall ; leaves 

 opposite and set obliquely on the stem, oblong to oblong- 

 linear in shape, toothed and marked with a red spot or 



Fig. 125. 

 maculata). 



Creeping spurge (Euphorbia 

 (Ada Hayden.) 



The species that are es- 



