EUPHORBIACEJE. 



The same milk thickened by boiling has been used as a cathartic and 

 emetic : but its action is so violent as to render its use very dangerous. 



394. E. tribuloides Lam. encycl. ii. 4-12. Wllld. ii. 835. 

 Canaries. 



Stem almost 2 inches high and 1 inch broad, ovate, fleshy, quad- 

 rangular, having 2 opposite, stalked, ovate, spathulate leaves growing 

 from its base. Prickles in pairs, white, clustered on the margin of the 

 angles. Said to be a sudorific. , 



395. E. antiquorum Linn. sp. pi. Blackw. herb. t. 339 



(Rheede. ii. t. 42. Comm. hort. i. t. 12.) Common on barren 

 uncultivated land all over India, and Arabia-Felix. 



Stem shrubby, leafless, succulent. Branches spreading, triangular, 

 or quadrangular ; angles sinuated and armed with double spines at the 

 protuberances. Peduncles solitary, or in pairs ; 3-flowered. Stamens 

 only 5. Bark of the root bruised and taken in water is purgative. 

 Rheede. It is supposed by some that this plant yields the drug Eu- 

 phorbium, a resinous substance, possessing acrid irritant poisonous pro- 

 perties. In all probability, however, it is obtained from E. oificinarum. 

 Dr. Christison assigns the substance to the latter ; Guibourf to this 

 species, officinarum and canariensis. According to Hamilton and 

 Royle, no euphorbium is obtained from this, at least in India. 



396. E. canariensis Linn. sp. pi. 646. Willd. ii. 882. 

 Blackwell t. 340. f. 1. (Comm. hort. ii. 207- 1. 104.) In the 

 Canary Islands. 



Stems shrubby, succulent, erect, branched, leafless, very open and 

 simple. Branches with from 3-4 angles, armed with double, hooked, 

 dark, shining spines. Flowers somewhat sessile, below a pair of spines, 

 supported on each side by an ovate, concave, green bract. Lobes of 

 the involucre sessile, fleshy, entire, very obtuse, dull purple. Pro- 

 perties the same as those of E. officinarum, but weaker. Forsk. 

 Martius regards this as the source of Eupkorbium, but Mr. Pereira 

 says that he is certainly in error, as all our Euphorbium comes from 



397. E. heptagona Linn. sp. pi. 647. Willd. ii. 883 



(Bradl. succ. ii. t. 13. Boerh. lugdb. i. t. 258.) Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



Stem succulent, leafless, naked, with 7 rounded angles, and very long 

 solitary subulate flower-bearing spines. Virey says the ^Ethiopians 

 tip their arrows with the milk, which is a mortal poison. 



398. E. officinarum Linn. sp. pi. 47. Forsk. p. 94. 

 DC.pl. grass, t. 647. Willd. ii. 884. Blackw. t. 340. f. 2. 

 S. and C. iii. t. 142. (Comm. hort. i. t. 11.) Arabia, and 

 the hotter parts of Africa. 



Stems short, tufted, succulent, leafless, naked, prickly, with many 

 angles ; prickles in pairs, short, thick and strong. Milk purgative ; 

 7 or 8 drops mixed with flower are made into pills, or taken in cow's 

 milk, as a dose, according to Forskahl. Mr. Pereira considers that the 

 Dergmuse of Mr. Jackson, from which according to the latter author 



