^30 cxxii. EUPHOuBiACEiE (prain). [Caperonia. 



above ; free portion of filaments spreading ; anthers short, ovoid ; cells 2, 

 dehiscing longitudinally, pendulous from tip of glandular connective. 

 Rudimentary ovary cylindric, crowning the apex of the staminal column. 

 Female : Sepals 5-6, rarely 8-10, generally unequal, imbricate, the 

 outer smaller than the inner. Petals 5, subequal, narrower than the 

 larger petals in the male. Disk 0. Ovary sessile, 8-celled ; ovules 

 solitary in each cell ; styles slightly connate at the base, ovate, deeply 

 laciniate. Capsule 3-coccous ; cocci 2-valved, beset externally with 

 flattened or subulate processes mixed with or passing into gland-tipped 

 setae. Seeds subglobose or oblong-globose ; testa very minutely punctate- 

 reticulate, without a caruncle. — Erect annual herbs (the African 

 species), with usually branching stems. Leaves alternate, shortly 

 petioled. Flowers in lax axillary peduncled racemes, each solitary to a 

 bract ; the upper males, the lower females. 



Species about 12, mostly in tropical South Aniericii, a few in Africa. 

 Leaves palmntely nerved at the base, their margins crenate ; 



male ])etal8 subequal ; female sepals 6 . . . .1. C. latifolia. 



Leaves pinnatel}' nerved throughout. 



Leaf-margins crenate ; male petals unecpial ; female 



sepals 6 ; seeds globose, pale grey . . . . 2. C Buchanani. 



Leaf-margins serrate. 



Male petals unequal ; female sepals usually 6, some- 

 times 5. 

 Seeds globose. 



Seeds deep blue-grey or nearly black . . 3. C Stuhlmanni. 



Seeds tawny or brownislj . . . . . 4. C. palustris. 



Seeds oblong-globose, pale yellow or taAvny . . 5. C senegalensis. 



Male petals usually subequal ; female sepals 8-10 ; 

 seeds oblong-globose, usually pale yellow or tawny, 

 occasionally black . . . . . . 6. C serrata. 



1. C. latifolia, Pax in Bolet. Soc. Brot. x. 151). An annual herb; 

 stems simple, rather stout, soft, hispid upwards, 2 ft. high. Leaves 

 short-petioled, ovate, acute, margin crenate, base rounded truncate or 

 slightly cordate, BJ-4^ in. long, IJ-^i in. wide, medium t^ dark green 

 above, paler beneath, sparingly hispid especially on the nerves and prin- 

 cipally beneath, base o-nerved, midrib giving oflf 5-8 nerves on each 

 side; petiole J-^ in. long, hispid; stipules lanceolate, 2 J lin. long, 

 caducous. Racemes lJ-2 in. long ; rhachis and pedicels hispid or 

 pubescent ; bracts small, linear-subulate. Male sepals 5, triangular, 

 acute, almo.«;t glabrous. Petals 5, obovate-oblong, subequal, rather 

 longer than the sepals. Stamens about 10; filaments short. Female 

 sepals 6, unequal, 3 outer lanceolate, much smaller than the 3 inner, 

 obovate-spathulate, acute. Petals 5, cblanceolate, obtuse, shorter than 

 the inner sepals. Ovary closely beset with flattened acute processes. 

 Capsule shortly muricate ; accrescent sepals J -J in. long. Seeds not 

 seen. — Pax in Engl. Jahrb. xix. 81. 



Upper Guinea. Cameroons : Victoria, Dusen, 281 ! 



Xiower Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, MoUer, 183 ! 



Also in South America and the West Indies. 



