1172 



EUPHORBIA 



EUPHORBIA 



1446. Euphorbia meloformis 

 No. 44. 



HH. Sides of branches concave to deeply grooved between 

 the ribs, which are more or less winged; branches 

 2-6 in. thick. (The species of this group and 

 several others, e. g. E. tenebrosa, N. E. Br., E. 

 acrurensis, N. E. Br., E. grandis, Lem. (E. neutra, 

 Berger), E. controversa, N. E. Br., E. Erythrxa 

 N. E. Br., are in cult., probably some in Amer., 

 as E. abyssinica or some as E. candelabrum. 

 The true E. abyssinica, Gmel., is not in cult.) 



32. neglecta, N. E. Br. (E. abyssinica, Berger, not 

 Gmel.). Tree: branches 5-8-angled, joints 4-12 in. long, 

 4-5 in. thick, the con- 

 spicuous wings marked by 

 swollen veins; spine pairs 

 1 in. apart, sunken; spines 

 stout, brown, 1-2 lines 

 long: Ivs. narrow, 1 in. or 

 more long: flowering eye 

 above the spine-shield. 

 N. Afr. G.C. III. 20:497. 

 Gn. 52, p. 106. 



33. similis, Berger (E. 

 natalensis, Hort., not 

 Bernh.). Differs from E. 

 neglecta in branches 5- 

 angled : spine pairs on apex 

 of a recurved tooth: Ivs. 

 shorter; spines darker; veins in wings not prominent. 

 Natal (?). 



34. disclusa, N. E. Br. (E. candelabrum, Berger, not 

 Trem., see No. 24). Tree, with 4-5-angled st. and 

 branches, slightly jointed: spine pairs 8-10 lines apart; 

 spines 3-5 lines long, stout, dark brown to gray: flower- 

 ing eye included in the spine-shield. Abyssinia. 



FFFF. Angles of branches 9-18. 



G. Spine-shields almost always united into a horny 

 margin; grooves between ribs rather shallow: 

 branches about 2 in. thick. 



35. Beaumierana, Hook. & Coss. A shrub to 9 ft. 

 high: branches erect, 9-10-angled; spines short, spread- 

 ing, red when young. Morocco. J.H. III. 59:627. 



36. officinarum, Linn. Shrub: branches 9-13-angled; 

 spines but little spreading, yellowish to gray, 3-6 lines 

 long: Ivs. minute. N. Afr. R.H. 1875, pp. 336-7. 



GG. Spine-shields often isolated; grooves between ribs 

 very deep. 



37. fruticdsa, Forsk. Low shrub: branches erect, 

 scarcely jointed, 6-9 lines thick, 10-13-ribbed; spines 

 6-9 lines long, spreading, brown when young. Arabia. 



38. Pfersdorfii, Hort. Trunk round, 1)^-2^ in. 

 thick, 9-angled, much branched when old : spines large, 

 4-9 lines long. A species not very well known. 



DD. Spines, if any, not in stipular position. 



Subsection TREISIA. 

 E. Podaria in longitudinal rows or ribs. 



F. Body cylindrical: sterile infl. transformed into thorns. 



Class ANTHACANTHA. 



G. Ribs without prominent cross furrows between podaria. 



39. heptagdna, Linn. St. 3-4 ft. high, over 1 in. 

 thick, candelabraform-branched, 5-8 -ribbed: ribs 

 broader than high; thorns not numerous, strong, yel- 

 low, %in. long: Ivs. linear-lanceolate, acute. Cape of 

 Good Hope. According to N. E. Brown the plants of 

 this section and their names are much confused in cult, 

 and without careful study it would be difficult to say 

 just what is being grown under the names of E. hep- 

 tagona, E. mammillaris, E. enopla, etc. 



40. cereiformis, Linn. (E. enneagona, Haw.). St. 

 erect, 2-3 ft. high: branches with 9-13 straight ribs, the 

 podaria forming declined teeth: Ivs. small, triangular; 



thorns numerous, 4-7 lines long. Cape region. Cut- 

 tings from the branches have a different form from 

 seedlings. 



41. pplygSna, Haw. St. up to 5 ft. high, 5 in. thick, 

 10^-13-ribbed, the ribs high and narrow, often somewhat 

 spiral: thorns 4-5 lines long; Ivs. minute. Cape region. 



GG. Ribs with the podaria separated by cross furrows. 



42. mammillaris, Linn. Low: branches 7-12-ribbed, 

 about 1 in. thick; ribs flat; podaria not prominent; 

 zones of spines up to 1 in. long, alternate with areas 

 free from them. Cape region. Var. spindsior, Berger, 

 is more vigorous and spiny, with more prominent 

 podaria. 



43. submammillaris, Berger. St. irregularly 

 branched, 1 in. thick: branches with about 5-8 straight 

 ribs, 2 lines high; podaria forming pointed tubercles: 

 Ivs. linear; thorns numerous on strong branches, few on 

 others. Cape region (?). Grown as E. mexicana, E. 

 imbricata, and E. cereiformis. 



FF. Body spherical, not thorny. 



44. meloformis, Ait. MELON SPURGE. Fig. 1446. 

 Globose or pyriform, 3-5 in. thick, deeply 8-10-ribbed; 

 ribs obscurely tuberculate on the almost acute angles; 

 sides transversely dark and light green-striped, or 

 wrinkled when old: Ivs. few and small: fls. at the 

 depressed apex; the old forked branches of the infl. 

 sub-persistent but not spinose. A few small branches 

 similar to the main st. present. S. Afr. L.B.C. 5:436. 

 A.G. 11 : 463. A curious and rare plant, often mistaken 

 for a cactus and showing extreme reduction in xero- 

 phytic euphorbias as Mammillaria does for the cacti. 



EE. Podaria in spirals checkering the axis. 

 F. Joints or branches globose to short-cylindrical: glands 

 of the involucre with lobed or comb-like edges. 

 See also No. 51. Class DACTYLANTHES. 



45. globdsa, Sims (E. glomerdta, Hort.). Low, the 

 spherical or short cylindrical to club-shaped joints 

 crowded, forming a clump near the ground: joints 



1447. Euphorbia Lathyris, young plant seen enawise. No. 52. 



in. long; podaria very flat, pentagonal: Ivs. very 

 small, triangular: peduncle 2-4 in. long; glands of 

 involucre with 3-4 lobes which are green with white 

 pits; flowering all summer. Cape region. B.M. 2624. 

 46. ornithopus, Jacq. Much-branched half-shrub: 

 joints 1 in. or less thick, short-cylindrical; podaria 



