Euphorbia.'] cxxii. euphorbiace^ (huown). f^Ol 



about 10 ft. from the ground into a dense obconic flat- topped ciown <.f 

 succulent spiny leafless branches, glabrous. Branches constricted into 

 segments 8-12 in. long, with tlie terminal or flowering segments 

 broadest at the base, tapering upwards or conical in general outlinn, 

 3-5- (usually 4-) angled, with the central solid part lj-l§ in. square 

 and the angles wing-like and \-\\ in. broad. Spines up to 5 lin. 

 long, stout and about J in. thick at the base, in pairs £-1 j in. apart, 

 diverging, those on the flowering segments gradually smaller and often 

 disappearing. Flowering-eyes placed a little above the spine-paiis. 

 Involucres 4-9 in a cluster (really composed of 2-3 subsessile or sessile 

 €ymes), sessile or very shortly pedunculate, about \ in. in diam. and 

 about as deep, fleshy, tubular-cam panu late, slightly constricted at the 

 middle, with 5 glands and 5 fringed lobes; glands distant, about \ in. 

 in their greater cfiam., transversely elliptic, entire, with the inner margin 

 incurved. Capsule as large as a cherry, depressed -globose, not 8-angled 

 or lobed, red ; styles bifid at the apex. — Pax in Engl. Jahrb. xxxiv. 75, 

 partly ; Berger, Sukk. Enphorb. 66. 



Mozamb. Blstr. German East Africa: Usambara, Hoist, 8821, partly, ox 

 Volfcens. 



I have not seen the ty})e of this species, and as no details are ^iven concerning 

 the toothing of the 8tem-ani,'le8, spine-shields, accurate position of floweiing-eyes, 

 •calyx, &c., I ain unable to place it in tlie key, but it seems allied to E. intercedens. 



173. E. similiSy Berger, Sukk. Euphorh. 6^3, Jig. 15. Arborescent, 



20-30 ft. high, leafless or with foliage-leaves, spiny. Branches erect, 

 «ubparallel, probably forming an obconic crown, fleshy, usually 4- (some- 

 times 5-) angled, slightly constricted into parallel-sided segments 6-18 

 in. long, 2-5 in. square, becoming thicker with age, deep green, not 

 tinted with blue nor glaucous on t'he younger parts ; angles wing -like, 

 rather thin and not more than 1 J lin. thick at the edge on the younger 

 branches, except at the spine-shields, straight or wavy, nearly even or 

 slightly sinuate-toothed at the margins, when young separated by broad 

 triangular channels IJ-IJ in. deep, with age giowing out into flat 

 faces, their sides marked by a slightly prominent longitudinal rib nearly 

 midway between the margin and centre, from which slightly prominent 

 ribs obliquely ascend to the spine-shields. Leaves sometimes rudimentary 

 and scale-like, l^lin. long, deltoid, subulate-acuminate, recurved, some- 

 times developed into a linear-cuneate or cuneate oblanceolate sessile 

 foliage-leaf |-3J in. long, 1 J-8 lin. broad, with a short subulate point at 

 the apex, deciduous, with small hard auricle-like persistent or deciduous 

 blackish-brown stipules at the base. Spines 1 J-2 lin. long, in pairs 

 |-1 J in. apart, diverging, distinctly deflexed, blackish, on suborbicular 

 blackish spine-shields lJ-1 J lin. longand lj-l|lin. broad. Flowering- 

 eyes J-J in. above the spine-shields and quite separate from them, with 

 i or 2 small blackish- brown scales about or covering them. Flowers 

 and fruit not seen. — E. natalensis, Hort. ex Berger,rSukk. Euphorb. 71. 



Tropical iLfrlca ? Country unknown, but possibly h native of South Africn. 

 Described from a living p'ant long cultivated at Kew ! 



Tins bus been cultivated asE. ahyxsinica. 



