figured in the London Flor. and Bot. Magazines. 343 



plant is given in our II, pp. 259, 295 and 417, and also in seve- 

 ral places in our first and second volumes. It is too well known 

 to require any additional remarks. But as a correspondent has 

 asked for the specific character and distinctions which separate 

 it fi-om the Linnsan Euphorbia, (vol. II, p. 436,) we annex 

 the following, furnished by Dr. Graham for the Bot. JMag. 



" Generic Character. — Involucrum four-pieced. Flowers partiall}'^ 

 stalked, naked. Male jioioers in two parts, one staniined. Female flow- 

 ers solitary. Germen three-lobed. Ovuhim solitary, with single lobes. 



" Specific Character. — Shrub erect, ranious: branches round, young 

 shoots bluntly four-angled, green, glabrous, hollow. Leaves scattei-ed, 

 occasionally opposite, spreading, petiolate, ovate-elliptical, rubacute, 

 sinuated, veined, soft and pubescent on both sides, bright green above, 

 paler below. Petioles furrowed above. Bracteca similar in shape to 

 the leaves, but aggregated, at the extremities of the branches, and splen- 

 did vermilion color, paler below. Cymes terminal, subtriiid, at length 

 falling ofi at a joint in the common footstalk. Involucres on short foot- 

 stalks, articulated at the base, green, ovate orbicular, toothed, marked 

 by jfive sutures on the outside, with which, alternate on the inside, five 

 falcate processes, beginning with the naiTow extremities at the mouth 

 of the involucre, and, adhering to this, with their backs becoming grad- 

 ually broader below, passing inwards, and attached to an elevation in 

 the centre, they divide the lower part of the involucre into five distinct 

 cells, and supporting on their edges erect fimbrite, they divide the upper 

 part also, but less completely. Teeth of the involucre numerous, col- 

 ored like the bractese, woolly on the inside, connivent. Jlppendages 

 single, on the outside of the involucre, towards the axis of the cyme, 

 round, entire, peltate, folded in the middle, so as to appear two-lijjped, 

 nectariferous; four yellow teeth placed around the mouth of the invo- 

 lucre, are abortive appendages. Male flowers about fourteen, in two 

 rows in each loculament, and rising from its base, erect, petiolate, na- 

 ked, monandrous, mixed with chaffs, (abortive male flowers.'') which 

 are woolly at the apex, and occasionally tinged red thei'e. Petioles 

 colorless, as long as the involucre. Filament red. Anthers two-lobed, 

 lobes divaricated, so that those which are next each other in the two 

 rows overlap, opening at a deep furrow along their outside. Pollen 

 granules yellow, lenticular. Female flowers solitary, central, on a short 

 stout pedicle, naked. Germen three-lobed, each lobe emarginate; style 

 wanting (?), ovule solitary in each lobe. These appearances I describe 

 as I saw them, but the female flowers were probably imperfect, more 

 enlarged, projected beyond the involucre, nor produced seed; but, after 

 a while, a small number of the male flowers, having been perfected, and 

 protruded beyond their involucre, this became yellow, and operated as 

 the articulation, near the base of the footstalk, the bracteaj for some 

 time remaining, and then the whole cyme dropped at the articulation in 

 the common peduncle." 



As regards its cultivation, though an article will be found in 

 vol. II, p. 58, Mr. Paxton states that "it grows well in a hot- 

 stove, potted in good open, rather sandy, loam, mixed with a 

 little reduced dung or vegetable mould, and in order to keep it 

 in a clean free-growing state, it requires ]ilcnty of water at the 

 roots, and frequently to be carefully syringed all over the leaves 

 and branches; this will encourage the latter to swell, and the for- 

 mer to develope, the result of which will be large, healthy, high 



