410 EMl'ETRACE^E. (CROWBERUY FAMILY.) 



2. P. Niruri, L. Annual ? branches short, very slender, recurved ; leaves 

 crowded, oval (2"- 4" long); ealyx 5-parted; seed white, smooth, 6-furrowed 

 on the back and 3-furrowed on the sides ; otherwise mostly like No. 1. South 

 Florida. Stem 6' high. 



13. PACHYSANDRA, Michx. 



Flowers monoecious, apetalous, spiked. Calyx bract-like, 4-parted. Sterile 

 flowers numerous. Stamens 4, with club-shaped exserted filaments. Fertile 

 flowers few, at the base of the sterile spike. Ovary 3-celled, with two ovules in 

 each cell. Styles 3, thick, recurved. Capsule of three 1 -celled, 2-seeded, 2-valved 

 carpels. A pubescent creeping perennial herb, with erect simple branches, 

 bearing at the summit several large ovate toothed alternate abruptly long-peti- 

 oled leaves, and near the base several thick bractcd spikes. 



1 . P. procumbens, Michx. West Florida, and westward, in rich shady 

 woods. Feb. and March. Flowering stems 1 high. Leaves 3' -4' long, often 

 discolored. Flowers odorous. 



14. DRYPETES, Vahl. 



Flowers dioecious, apetalous, in axillary clusters. Calyx 4 6-parted, lined 

 in the centre with a wavy-lobed disk. Stamens 4-10, inserted under the disk : 

 anther-cells distinct. Ovary resting upon the disk, 2-celled, the cells 2-ovuled. 

 Styles 2, short, spreading. Fruit drupaceous, 1 -2-celled, 1 -2-seeded. Trop- 

 ical trees or shrubs, with alternate coriaceous entire smooth petioled leaves, and 

 minute many-bracted flowers. 



1. D. crocea, Poit. Branches smooth ; leaves oblong, acute at each end, 

 somewhat coriaceous, finely veined ; clusters many-flowered, shorter than the 

 petioles ; calyx 4-parted, and like the ovary and slightly 4-angled l-seeded drupe, 

 tomentose ; stamens 4, exserted ; styles thick, obtuse. South Florida. A small 

 tree. Leaves 3' 4' long, smooth and shining. Flowers greenish-white. 



2. D. glauca, Vahl. Branches whitish, warty ; leaves glaucous, oblong, 

 obtuse or gland-pointed, coriaceous ; clusters few-flowered, as long as the peti- 

 oles; calyx 5-parted; stamens 10; drupes oval, tomentose. South Florida, 

 Dr. Blodgett. Leaves 2' -3' long. 



EUPHORBIA LATHYRUS and MARGINATA, Dr. Curtis informs me, are nat- 

 uralized in North Carolina, and MERCURIALIS ANNUA is spontaneous around 

 Charleston. 



ORDER 120. EMPETRACE^E. (CROWBERRY FAMILY.) 



Shrubs, with evergreen linear alternate or whorled leaves, without 

 stipules, and small dioecious or polygamous flowers. Calyx bract-like, 

 of 2 - 3 sepals, imbricated. Corolla of 2 - 3 petals similar to the calyx, 

 hypogynous. Stamens 2-3, alternate with the petals, exserted : anthers 



