848 cxxiT. EUPnoRBiACEiE (prain). [Ei'ythrococca. 



erect, 2-celled ; cells subglobose or obovoid, free from the base, opening 

 by longitudinal extrorse slits. Rudimentary ovary 0. Female ; Calyx 

 2- (rarely 3-4-) partite ; lobes smaller than in the male. Disk of 2-3 

 free discrete or contiguous scales with or without minute or intercalated 

 glands, or shallow-urceolate and usually distinctly 2-lobed, rarely sub- 

 entire. Ovary glabrous or strigose, 2-3-celled ; cells 1-ovuled ; stigmas 

 free, sessile, spreading and plumosely fimbriate from the base, very 

 rarely entire, or more or less connate below in a sliort or very short 

 rarely columnar style, crowned by short or very short smooth (very 

 rarely papillose) and entire (very rarely lobulate) stigmatic lobes. Capsule 

 2-coccous, didymous, less often 3-coccous or by abortion 1-coccous ; cocci 

 subglobose, splitting longitudinally ; valves coriaceous, persistent. Seeds 

 nearly spherical, enveloped in a thin complete fleshy usually scarlet aril ; 

 testa crustaceous, usually rugosely foveolate-reticulate, rarely almost 

 smooth ; albumen fleshy ; embryo axile, radicle conical, cotyledons 

 broad, flat. — Shrubs with slender woody branches; buds perulate, the 

 scales usually persistent; bark lenticelled. Leaves alternate, petioled; 

 petioles channelled above, often short ; margin crenate or dentiite, the 

 teeth glandular ; stipules cartilaginous, glabrous, often accrescent and 

 modified into umbonate mammillae or weak conical thorns, rarely into 

 wide-based pungent spines, sometimes minute, subulate and unaltered. 

 Flowers small, very small or minute, in axillary fascicled or solitary 

 racemes or glomerules ; peduncles slender ; pedicels capillary, articulate 

 near the base, rarely some distance beyond the bracteoles. Male flowers 

 usually several to a bracteole, rarely solitary ; females usually solitary, 

 rarely 2 or more to each bracteole. 



Species about 40 ; two in Soutli Africa, one extendiiif^ from Abyssinia to Arabia, 

 the othiTs endemic. 



•Stigmas laciniate or lobulate ; liypoprynous scales free 

 and separated by distinct intervals ; filaments 

 longer than tbe anlber-cells. 

 fStigmas sessile, linear, spreading and i)lumosely 

 laciniate tbrougliout. 

 + Flowers in axillary capitate glomerules; stipules 

 accrescent and more or less modified. 

 Glomerules of male flowers sessile ; ovary 

 glabrous. 

 Leaves glabrous ; stamens usually 8 ; glands 

 liirsute, tbe extra-staminal ring complete. 

 Male pedicels flaccid, flexnous ; extra- 



staminal glands often connate . 

 Male pedicels firm, straight; extra-staminal 

 glands usually free .... 

 Leaves more or less pubescent ; stamens 9- 

 12 ; glands glabrous, the extra-staminal 

 ring usually imperfect ... 



Glomerules of male flowers distinctly peduncled ; 

 receptacular glands glabrous or s])aringly 

 hirsute. 

 Peduncles and rhachisos of glomerules pubes- 

 cent; leaves firmly membr.inous. 



