68 EUPHORBIACE&. 



pound, sometimes (in Euphorbia) consisting of single naked 1- 

 stamened florets in a perianth-like involucre surrounding a pistil, 

 more often with the main inflorescence centripetal axillary or 

 iracemose, the subdivisions cymose, sometimes wholly cymose 

 on terminal dichotomous panicles, or reduced to simple clusters 

 or solitary florets ; bracts usually solitary, small and scale-like, 

 sometimes enlarged or 2-3-connate and forming an involucre ^ 

 bracteoles often 2 within each bract or numerous in the more 

 open cymes. Perianth often small, sometimes obsolete, often, 

 dissimilar in the two sexes, usually simple, calycine and with the 

 segments valvate or imbricate, sometimes calycine 2-seriate and 

 imbricate with the segments all similar, or occasionally dissimilar 

 and rarely double, the inner then of 4 or 5 scale-like or very rarely 

 conspicuous petals. MALE-flowers. Torus sometimes forming 

 an intra-staminal disk or disk-glands or of lobes alternate with the 

 stamens of the outer series. Stamens 1-many, free or connate ; 

 anthers 2 -celled, with longitudinal transverse or porous dehiscence. 

 FEMALE -flowers. Sepals usually larger and less connate than in the 

 male. Disk hypogynous, entire or of distinct glands, or none. 

 Staminodes often present. Ovary superior, usually of 3 more or 

 less united carpels, styles as many as the carpels, united free or 

 divided, stigmas usually on the inner face of the styles or style- 

 arms ; ovules 1 -2 in each carpel, pendulous from the inner angle 

 of the cell, the funicle often thickened. Fruit usually a capsule of 

 three 2-valved 1-2-seeded cocci separating from a persistent axis, 

 or a drupe with 1-3 cells, or of one or more combined nuts. 

 Seeds laterally attached at or above the middle of the cells with 

 or without an aril or caruncle at the hilum ; embryo straight, 

 enclosed in fleshy albumen ; cotyledons flat, leafy, radicle superior, 

 albumen rarely none and cotyledons fleshy. Species about 4,000, 

 throughout the world, except in Arctic regions, but chiefly tropical. 



Flowers monoecious, in heads resembling single 

 flowers consisting of a calyx-like involucre 

 enclosing several flowers without a perianth, 

 viz., many males, each consisting of a soli- 

 tary pedicelled stamen surrounding a single 

 central female consisting of a 3-carpelled 

 pistil ; fruit a capsule. Herbs shrubs or 

 small trees with milky juice . . .1. EUPHORBIA. 



