EUPHORBIACEAE 211 



above, glandular dotted below, 12 cm. long and broad; petiole 6-10 cm. 

 long. Inflorescence a short simple raceme. Staminate calyx 3 parted; 

 stamens numerous, exserted. Pistillate flowers with pubescent, lanceolate 

 sepals and pubescent ovary; style 3 parted. Capsule spiny. 



Hupeh and Szechuan. 



Mallotus philippinensis (Lamarck) Mueller. 

 (Croton philippense Lamarck.) 



Small evergreen tree. Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, entire or 

 slightly sinuate-serrate. Spikes terminal; ovary with red glands; stigma 

 3, sessile. Capsule not spiny, 8-12 mm. across. Seeds black. 



India, China, Malay Islands to Australia. 



The capsules are covered with a red powder which yields the 

 Kamila dye used for coloring silks. 



CROTON 



Trees, shrubs or rarely herbs without milky juice. Leaves alternate, 

 opposite or whorled, 2 glandular at the base. Flowers monoecious or 

 sometimes dioecious; calyx 5 (4-6); sepals 5 (4-6), smaller or absent in 

 the pistillate flower; disk glandular; stamens 5-many ; ovary 3 (2-4) 

 celled ; style 2-4 cleft; ovules 1 in each cell. Capsule of 6 nearly equal 

 valves, or of 3 deciduous valved cocci. 



500 species or more, mostly in the tropics. 



Croton tiglium Linnaeus. 

 Croton-oil Plant. 



Small evergreen tree. Leaves 5-10 cm. long, ovate or elliptic- 

 oblong, acuminate; petiole 2.5-5 cm. long. Pistillate flower apetalous; 

 style 2 parted. Capsule 2-2.5 cm. long, white, obovoid, obscurely 3 

 parted. Seeds 1.2-2 cm. long. 



S. E. Asia. 



Commonly cultivated in parts of Szechuan where the leaves are 

 mostly retained through the winter and become highly colored before 

 falling in the spring (Wilson). 



Croton oil, a powerful purgative, is extracted from the seeds. 

 Colloquially known as the Pa-tou tree (Wilson). 



