EUP 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



EUP 



537 



more, but in England it is rarely seen more than six or seven. 

 The stem is very thick, green, and succulent, and has lour or 

 five large angles, closely armed with black crooked spines, 

 which come out by pairs at every indenture ; it sends out 

 from every side large succulent branches of the same form, 

 which extend to the distance of two or three feet, and then 

 turn their ends upwards, so that when the plants are well 

 grown, they have some resemblance to a chandelier; they 

 have no leaves, but are closely armed with black spines like 

 the stem; at the ends of the branches come out the flowers, 

 which are shaped like those of the first species. It flowers 

 in March and April. For its culture and propagation, see 

 the first species. 



3. Euphorbia Edulis; Five-angled Spurge. Prickly, leafy, 

 five-angled; peduncles many-flowered, terminating; flowers 

 npetalous ; stem six feet high, with prickles in pairs, and 

 ascending branches ; leaves many, scattered, almost wedge- 

 shaped, rounded at the tip, three inches long, quite entire, 

 fleshy, smooth ; corolla none ; calix fleshy, ventricose, red 

 within, green without ; stamina short, about forty. Native of 

 Cochin-china, where the leaves are eaten boiled with other 

 herbs. For the culture and propagation, see the first species. 



4. Euphorbia Heptagona; Seven-angled Spurge. Naked, 

 seven-angled ; spines solitary, subulate, flower-bearing ; stem 

 roundish, upright, succulent, about three feet high, putting 

 out several branches on the side, of the same form; the angles 

 are armed with long, single, black spines ; at the ends of the 

 branches come out small flowers, which are sometimes suc- 

 ceeded by small fruit. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 This species is at present exceedingly rare in England ; 

 those procured from Holland have been most of them de- 

 stroyed by placing them in stoves, where, by the heat, they 

 have in one day turned black, and rotted immediately after. 

 It will, however, thrive well, if placed in a dry airy case, with 

 other succulent plants, where they may have free air in mild 

 weather, and be protected from frost ; in summer the plants 

 may be exposed in the open air in a warm situation, but 

 should be screened from much wet: with this treatment 

 the plants will thrive much better than when they are 

 more tenderly nursed. For further particulars, see the 

 first species. 



5. Euphorbia Mammillaris; Warty-angled Spurge. Naked; 

 angles tubered, with spines between. This differs from the 

 preceding, in having the angles doubled, and swelling a little, 

 and the spines single between the tubercles, which are placed 

 longitudinally. It flowers in July and August, and is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope. This species, like the eleventh 

 and fourteenth, is pretty hardy, and will live in a good glass- 

 case in winter, without fire, provided the frost be entirely 

 excluded. In summer they may be placed abroad in a warm 

 situation ; and as they are very succulent plants, they should 

 not have too much wet; if therefore the summer turn out 

 very moist, it will be very proper to place these plants under 

 some shelter, where they may enjoy the free air, and be 

 screened from the rain, otherwise by receiving too much wet 

 they will soon begin to rot, especially in winter. For further 

 particulars respecting its propagation and culture, see the 

 first species. 



6. Euphorbia Cereiformis ; Naked Spurge. Naked, many- 

 angled ; spines solitary, subulate. This sort has stalks and 

 branches very like those of the next, but much more slender; 

 the spines of this are single, and those of the others double ; 

 and the ends of the branches in this are closely set with 

 flowers on every angle. It flowers in June and July, and is 

 a native of the Cape of Good Hope. For its propagation and 

 culture, see the first species. 



VOL. i. 45. 



7. Euphorbia Officinarum ; Officinal Spurge. Naked, 

 many-angled; prickles doubled. This puts out many stalks, 

 just above the surface, which are thick, succulent, and round- 

 ish, having eight or ten angles whilst they are young, but as 

 they grow old they lose their angles and become round ; the 

 branches grow distorted and irregular, first horizontal, but 

 afterwards turning upwards ; the angles are armed with small 

 crooked spines, and on the upper part of the branches, in June 

 and July, come out the flowers; they are small, and of a 

 greenish white. Native of Africa. For its propagation and 

 culture, see the first species. Gerarde calls it the Poisonous 

 Gum Thistle. 



8. Euphorbia Triaculeata; Three-prickled Spurge. Prickly, 

 naked: stem round, grooved ; prickles in threes. This is a 

 shrub of a cubit high, spreading and branchy; branches 

 about the thickness of a finger, sulcated longitudinally; in the 

 interjacent channels are inserted three prickles, of which the 

 exterior are very short, and bent downwards : the middle one 

 about an inch long, subulate, spreading, and curving down- 

 wards. The flowers spring by threes from the bosoms of the 

 prickles, and are sessile; the stamina, six in number, two in 

 each angle of the flower ; the pistil does not arise from the 

 side, as in many others. Native of Arabia. For its propa- 

 gation and culture, see the first species. 



9. Euphorbia Neriifolia; Oleander-leaved Spurge. Angles 

 obliquely tubercled ; stem upright, strong, five or six feet high, 

 with irregular angles, and protuberances oblique to the angles; 

 the lower part is naked, and the upper part branching ; the 

 branches are armed with crooked spines ; at every protube- 

 rance, and at the top, are oblong leaves of a lucid green, very 

 smooth, entire, and rounded at the end ; these fall off in 

 spring, and the plants remain naked for some mouths, and 

 then, in June and July, the flowers come out; they sit close 

 to the branches, and are of a greenish white colour; the 

 leaves come out in the autumn. Native of the East Indies 

 and Cochin-china, where it is much used for hedges, on ac- 

 count of its strong- thorns. For its propagation and culture, 

 see the first species. 



** Shrubby, unarmed: Stem neither dichotomous nor 

 umbelliferous. 



10. Euphorbia Meloformis ; Melon Spurge. Subglobose, 

 many-angled : trunk fleshy, three inches in diameter, smooth ; 

 ridges eight, ten, or more, broad at the base, and keeled ; 

 keels flower-bearing, marked with scars of the peduncles and 

 with glands alternately ; peduncles cylindric, the thickness of 

 a pigeon's quill, jointed, with very short villose hairs scat- 

 tered over them, usually first trichotomous, then dichotomous, 

 seldom simple. It flowers from May to September, and is a 

 native of the Cape of Good Hope. For its propagation and 

 culture, see the first species. 



11. Euphorbia Caput Meduste; Medusa's Head Spurge. 

 Imbricate : tubercles furnished with a linear leaf; flowers 

 subpeduncled ; petals palmate. It has thick, roundish, suc- 

 culent stalks, which are scaly; they send out many branches 

 from their sides of the same form, which are twisted, and run 

 over one another, so as to appear like a parcel of serpents, 

 which give it the name of Medusa's Head; at the end of these 

 are narrow, thick, succulent leaves, which drop off", and round 

 the upper part of them the flowers come out ; these are white, 

 and of the same form with those of the other sorts, but larger, 

 and are frequently succeeded by fruit. There are several 

 varieties of this species ; that called Little Medusa's Head, 

 has a thick short stalk, seldom more than eight or ten inches 

 high, from which come out a great number of slender trail- 

 ing branches, about a foot in length, intermixing and having 

 the same appearance with the other, but smaller, and much 



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