706 EUPHOEBIACEAE 



1. Mozinna sessiliflora (Hook.) Small. 1 Perennial, glabrous, shrubby, but some- 

 what succulent. Stems several din. tall, with a smooth olive-green bark : leaves clustered 

 on short stout spurs ; blades spatulate or cuneate, 2-4 cm. long, entire or merely toothed at 

 the tip, sessile or nearly so : flowers clustered, the staminate pedicelled : calyx pubescent, 

 various, the staminate with ovate-lanceolate, acutis,h sepals, the pistillate with lanceolate 

 acuminate sepals : corolla pubescent ; tube surpassing the calyx ; lobes oblong or ovate, ob- 

 tuse, shorter than the tube : capsules about 2 cm. long, sharp-tipped, oblique at the base, 

 pubescent or glabrate : seeds less than 1.5 cm. long, oblong-oval. [Jatropha spathulata var. 

 sessliflora (Hook.) Muell. Arg.] 



On prairies and hillsides, Texas and adjacent Mexico. 



20. CNIDOSCOLUS Pohl. 



Perennial monoecious herbs or shrubs, with stinging-bristly foliage. Leaves alternate : 

 blades entire, lobed or divided, petioled. Flowers apetalous, in cymes, the staminate with 

 a corolla-like 5-lobed calyx. Stamens usually numerous (10-30 ) and in several series : 

 filaments mostly united at the base, the inner sometimes imperfect. Pistillate flowers in 

 the lower forks of the cymes. Ovary mostly 3-celled and 3-ovuled : styles united at the 

 base. Capsule ovoid or subglobose, easily separating into 2-valved carpels. Seeds ovoid, 

 or obovoid. Embryo stright in the fleshy endosperm. TREAD-SOFTLY. SPURGE NETTLE. 



Staminate calyx glabrous or nearly so at maturity ; tube 8-10 mm. long. 1. C. stimulosus. 



.Staminate calyx copiously armed with spreading bristle-like hairs ; tube 15-25 mm. long. 2. C. Texaiuis. 



1. Cnidoscolus stimulosus (Michx. ) A. Gray. Plant bright green, armed with 

 ^stinging hairs. Stems rather slender, erect, simple or branched, 1-12 dm. tall : leaf-blades 

 nearly orbicular in outline, 8-30 cm. broad, truncate or cordate at the base, deeply 3-5- 

 lobed ; the lobes entire, toothed or pinnatifid : calyx of the staminate flowers salverform, 

 white or pink, glabrous or nearly so at maturity ; tube 8-10 mm. long ; lobes about as 

 long as the tube : capsules oblong, 10-16 mm. long, papillose, wrinkled : seeds oblong- 

 obovoid, 10-12 ram. long, smooth, mottled. [Jatropha stimulosa Michx.] 



In dry sandy soil, Virginia to Florida and Texas. Spring to fall. 



2. Cnidoscolus Texanus ( Muell. Arg. ) Small. Plants copiously armed with rigid 

 bristle-like hairs. Stems 3-6 dm. tall, simple or branched above, bristly : leaf-blades sub- 

 orbicular in outline, deeply 3-5-lobed, 6-15 cm. broad, the lobes toothed, angled or pin- 

 natifid, acute or somewhat acuminate ; petioles nearly as long as the blades or longer, 

 bristly like the stem : clusters many-flowered, densely bristly : calyx white ; tube cylindric 

 or nearly so, 2-2.5 cm. long, pubescent with firm bristles ; lobes oblong to spatulate-oblong, 

 about as long as the tube or somewhat shorter, often sharply bristly without : capsules 

 slightly larger than those of the preceding species. [Jatropha Texana Muell. Arg.] 



In sandy soil, Arkansas and the Indian Territory to Texas. Spring to fall. 



21. JATROPHA L. 



Perennial caulescent monoecious herbs, often woody below. Leaves alternate : blades 

 angled or lobed, petioled. Flowers petaliferous, cymose, the staminate inconspicuous, with 

 5 sepals and 5 more or less united petals. Stamens 10, the inner sometimes imperfect : 

 filaments united below. Pistillate flowers mainly below the staminate. Ovary 2-3-celled, 

 or rarely 4-celled. Capsule separating in 2 carpels or usually 3 carpels. Seeds usually 

 minutely carunculate. 



1. Jatropha gossypif olia L. Perennial, shrubby. Stems 3-7 dm. tall, branching : 

 leaf -blades palmately 3-5-lpbed, 8-15 cm. broad, often lustrous above, the segments shal- 

 lowly toothed, glandular-ciliate, acute or acuminate ; petioles shorter than the blades, con- 

 spicuously glandular-pubescent, the hairs often in clusters : capsules globular-oblong, about 

 1 cm. long, slightly warty : seeds oblong, 7-8 mm. long, mottled. 



In sandy soil, Key West and tropical America. Also in Africa. 



22. MANIHOT Adans. 



Vigorous monoecious herbs or shrubs, commonly with glaucous and glabrous foliage. 

 Leaves alternate : blades entire or palmately 3-7-lobed or 3-7-parted, the segments mem- 

 branous or leathery, entire or lobed. Flowers apetalous, in racemes or panicles, the stami- 



1 Another species, Mozinna spathulata Ortega, of Mexico, western Texas and New 

 Mexico, with some of the leaves lobed and slender-pedicelled staminate flowers, may be 

 found within our range. 



