541 



EUP 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



EUP 



the plant is glaucous, except the bractet or round leaves, sup- 

 porting the flower*. Native of Austria, in stony places. 



68. Euphorbia Paralias ; Sea Spurge. Umbel suhquinque- 

 fid, bifid ; involucels cordate, renifonn ; leaves imbricate up- 

 wards ; root perennial; stems upright or ascending 1 , nume- 

 rous, generally red at bottom, thickly imbricated, with smooth 

 fleshy leaves pointing upwards when wild, but open when 

 cultivated, gradually increasing in size from the lower part 

 of the stem upwards ; the lower ones linear, linear-lanceolate, 

 or oblong, sessile, the upper ones oval, lanceolate, half stem- 

 clasping; involucre of five heart-shaped leaves; petals en- 

 tire; capsules very large, smooth, according to Dr. Wither- 

 ing, rough, though all others say smooth. The juice of Sea 

 Spurge is highly acrid, and, according to Gerarde, the most 

 so of any species. He relates, that putting a single drop 

 into his mouth, his throat inflamed so, that he hardly escap- 

 ed with his life by riding to the next farm-house, and drink- 

 ing milk. It is found on the sandy shores of Europe ; and 

 in Great Britain on the coasts of Essex and Kent, and 

 between Southwold and Dunwich in Suffolk; and also in 

 Cornwall. 



69. Euphorbia Junoea; Linear-leaved Spurge. Umbel 

 dichetomous ; leaves and involucres linear-lanceolate, acute ; 

 involucels ovate-oblong, acuminate. It is perennial, flowers 

 in July, and is a native of the island of Porto Santo, near 

 Madeira. 



70. Euphorbia Aleppica ; Aleppo Spurge. Umbel dicho- 

 tomous ; involucels ovate-lanceolate, mucronate ; lower leaves 

 bristle-form ; stews a foot and a half high ; flowers in large 

 umbels, from the divisions of the stem, yellow, appearing in 

 June, but rarely producing seeds in this country. Native of 

 Aleppo, and other parts of the Levant. The roots, which are 

 perennial, should be confined in pots ; for when planted in 

 the full ground, they creep to a great distance. 



71. Euphorbia Pioea ; Pine Sparge. Umbel dichotomous ; 

 inrolucels cordate ; leaves linear, acuminate, crowded ; cap- 

 sules smoothish. Native country unknown. 



72. Euphorbia Segetalis; Corn Spurge. Umbel dichoto- 

 mous ; involucels cordate, acute ; leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 the upper ones broader ; root annual ; petals crescent-shaped ; 

 fruit smooth, except that it is scabrous at the corners. Vil- 

 lars describes it as from six to ten inches high ; the lower 

 stem-leaves fall very soon, and sometimes barren branches 

 spring from the bottom of it. Native of Barbary and Russia, 

 of the south of France, Austria, Silesia, and the county 

 of Nice. 



T3. Euphorbia Taurinensis ; Piedmont Spurge. Umbel quin- 

 quefid, bifid; involucre four-leaved, hanging down; leaves 

 linear-lanceolate; stem branched, eight or ten inches high, 

 erect, smooth, round, red at bottom; root annual. The ter- 

 minating umbel has generally four rays, three or four inches 

 in length, naked, and dividing again into pairs; where these 

 divide, a single flower sits on a peduncle, about an inch in 

 length; petals crescent-shaped; the fruit is smooth, except 

 at the angles. It flowers from the beginning of April to the 

 end of June, and is a native of Dauphiny. 



74. Euphorbia Helioscopia ; Sun Spurge, or Wartwort. 

 Umbel quinquefid, trifid, dichotomous; involucels obovate ; 

 leaves wedge-form, serrate, smooth ; capsules even ; root 

 annual; stem upright, from six to nine inches high, round, 

 slightly hairy, having opposite branches at bottom ; involucre 

 of five leaves like the other leaves : calix greenish-yellow, 

 with four or five yellow segments: petals or nectaries four, 

 entire, roundish, or oval, yellowish-green ; filamenta four- 

 teen, two, three, or more, visible at a time; capsule smooth ; 

 all the flowers hermaphrodite. Native of most parts of | 



Europe, in cultivated grounds, flowering from July, through 

 the autumn. The country people call it Wart-wart, Churn- 

 staff, and Cafs-milk. The juice is very acrimonious, and 

 hence is often applied to warts for the purpose of destroying 

 them. It should be cautiously used where the parts are 

 tender, particularly near the eyes, as it will inflame the face 

 to a great degree. Linneus informs us, that when sheep eat 

 it, they are purged by it, and their flesh acquires a bad taste ; 

 but that this is not the case with cows. 



75. Euphorbia Pubescens ; Hairy Spurge. Umbel quinqua- 

 fid, trichototnous ; involucels semicordate ; leaves wedge- 

 shaped, hairy, serrulate ; capsules muricate ; root animal. 

 The top of the stem, the leaves, peduncles, and pedicels, are 

 villose, and the capsules muricated with small tubercles. 

 Found in cultivated grounds about Tunis. 



76. Euphorbia Serrata ; Narrow Notch-leaved Spurge. 

 Umbel quinquefid, trifid, dichotomous ; involucels two-leaved, 

 kidney-form; leaves stem-clasping, cordate, serrate. This is 

 a foot hijjh, and easily known by its oblong leaves, with fre- 

 quent and sharp serratures. The leaves, however, vary very 

 much, being sometimes cordate on the flowering stems, and 

 linear on the branches and barren stems, and sometimes linear 

 on all. The umbels are also sometimes three-rayed and bifid, 

 with the involucres and involucels cordate-attenuate. Native 

 of the south of Europe. 



77. Euphorbia Verrucosa ; Warty-fruited Spurge. Umbel 

 quinquefid, subtriful, bifid; involuceis ovate; leaves lanceo- 

 late, serrate, villose ; capsules very much warted ; root bien- 

 nial ; stem from eight inches to a foot in height, simple, 

 cylindric, decumbent; flowers of the first, second, and third 

 rank abortive ; petals four, entire, yellow. It flowers in July, 

 and is a native of corn-fields in the south of Europe, and the 

 Levant. In England, it is found in Essex, near Gransdea 

 Lodge in Cambridgeshire, and also near York. 



78. Euphorbia Punicea; Scarlet-flowered Spurge. Umbel 

 quinquefid, trifid; involucels ovate, acuminate, coloured; 

 capsules smooth ; leaves obovate, lanceolate. This most 

 splendid plant, by far the most beautiful of the genus, ig 

 the height of a mun ; the stem shrubby, rather fleshy, full of 

 milky juice, round, abruptly branched ; the branches curved 

 upwards, three together; the smaller branches sometimes 

 four or five together; bark smooth, whitish, marked with 

 spots or scars where former leaves have grown ; leaves on 

 the summits of the smaller branches crowded together, almost 

 sessile, spreading in every direction, bluntish, ending in a 

 small point, smooth, opaque, dark green, glaucous under- 

 neath; the younger ones turned inwards, and those nearest 

 the umbels coloured ; principal nerve of all the leaves dull 

 yellow, and in the younger ones near the umbels it is besides 

 stained with red ; umbels terminating, erect, having five, six, 

 or seven rays; peduncles club-shaped, smooth, dichotomoos; 

 involucels two or three together under each flower, of a mot 

 vivid scarlet; flowers solitary, turbinate, yellowish, soon 

 turning reddish ; calix five-toother! ; petals five, divaricated, 

 yellow, full of very sweet pellucid honey; stamina fifteen or 

 twenty, fertile, many, abortive; germeu reflex; styles teflex, 

 red ; receptacle occupied by chatty branched (ilnmenta; cap- 

 sule smooth. It flowers in January; and was discovered ia 

 Jamaica, where it is not easily procured. It must be kept in 

 the hot-house, and being so eminently beautiful, it is to be 

 lamented that it is yet confined to the most choice collections ; 

 which is the more remarkable, as it not only may be increased 

 by cuttings, but also grows readily from seeds, both sent from 

 Jamaica, and produced in England. 



79. Euphorbia Corollato. Umbel quinquefid, trifid, dicho- 

 tomous ; involucels and leaves oblong, obtuse ; stem-leaves 



