EUPHORBIA 



EUPHORBIA 



1173 



elongated into conical projections: Ivs. small ovate: 

 peduncles short; fls. much as in E. globosa, involucral 

 glands erect, the 3-4 teeth pitted and white-marked. 

 Cape region. B.M.2520. L.B.C.3:22Q(asE.anacantha). 



47. anacantha, Ait. Cespitose sub-shrub, with some 

 joints 48 in. long, %in. thick: podaria oblong, some- 

 what projecting: Ivs. small, ovate-oblong; cyathia 

 almost sessile at apex of branches; glands divergent, 

 the 3-lobes white with greenish pits. Cape region. 



FF. Joints of the branches obscure or none; branches 

 cylindrical, many times as long as thick. 



G. Sinuous or snake-like branches many, from a thick 

 basal st.; thorns none: Ivs. small; glands comb-like. 

 Class MEDUSEA. 



48. Caput-Medftsae, Linn. (E. Commelinii, DC.). 

 MEDUSA'S HEAD. Branches 1-2 in. thick, numerous, 

 declined about the short, obconical st., with ends erect, 

 6-12 in. long: Ivs. linear-lanceolate, about 1 in. long: 

 cyathia single, from short, thick peduncles; glands erect, 

 white. Cape region. A curious and interesting plant; 

 often seen as single-stemmed plants grown from branch 

 cuttings. E. parvimdmma, Boiss., is also in cult, under 

 this name. See Suppl. list. 



49. inermis, Mill. (E. vipenna, Berger, fide N. E. 

 Br. E. serpentdria, Hort.?). Smaller: branches about 

 J^in. thick, 12 in. long; podaria narrow, in 6-8 somewhat 

 spiral rows: ivs. very small, ovate; cyathia ^in. wide, 

 whitish, glands divergent. Cape region. B.M. 7971. 



GG. Sinuous or snake-like branches none; glands simple, 

 flat, without divided appendages: Ivs. usually large; 

 cyathia usually long peduncled, subtended by several 

 broad bracts. Class TREISIA. 



50. loricata, Lam. (E. Hystrix, Jacq., fide N. E. Br.). 

 A shrub, 2-3 ft. high : branches divergent from the base, 

 */in. thick: Ivs. linear, 2-3 in. long: peduncles persist- 

 ent as numerous brownish red thorns. Cape region. 

 Some species of the subsection Anthacantha are in cult, 

 under the name of E. Hystrix. The names E. cldva, 

 Jacq., and E. corondta, Thunb., are used in the trade and 

 belong to closely related if not identical species of S. 

 Afr., probably not in cult. The sts. are smaller and the 

 infl. less spinose than in E. loricata. 



51. bupleurifdlia, Jacq. St. ovate-spherical, elon- 

 gated in age, 3 in. thick, 4-5 in. high: podaria scale-like, 

 imbricated, quadrangular: Ivs. at st. apex, 4-8 in. long, 



lanceolate: fls. 

 long-stalked; 

 peduncle not 

 persistent. Cape 

 region. B.M. 

 3476. Seldom 

 cult., and, as it 

 does not branch, 

 cannot be prop, 

 by cuttings. E. 

 clandestina, 

 Jacq., differing 

 in tne club- 

 shaped st., Ity- 

 2 in. thick, with 

 oblong podaria 

 divergent above, 

 small Ivs. and 



nearly sessile cyathia is listed, probably erroneously, 



in the trade. 



BBS. Sts. herbaceous or woody, rarely somewhat fleshy, 

 not spiny: infl. umbellate: stipules none. Section 



TlTHYMALUS. 



c. Lvs. below the umbel decussate: tall annual herb. 



52. Lathyris, Linn. CAPER SPURGE. MOLE PLANT. 

 Fig. 1447. Annual, 2-3 ft. tall: Ivs. long, lance- 

 linear, those of the infl. ovate-acuminate: glands short- 



1448. Euphorbia epithymoides. No. 57. 



horned: caps, somewhat fleshy, %-%in. diam. Eu., 

 and naturalized in E. U. S. Kept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 

 11, pi. 11. Cult, in old gardens. Caps, sometimes 

 pickled, seeds used as a purgative. Said to drive away 

 moles from its neighborhood (see Cor- 

 nell Bull. 61 : 331) ; for a similar reason 

 known as "gopher plant" in S. Calif. 



cc. Lvs. usually clustered at ends of 

 branches: shrubs. (Euphorbio- 

 dendron, Millsp.). 



53. atropurpdrea, Brouss. Branch- 

 ing shrub, 3-6 ft. high: Ivs. pale, 

 glaucous green, spreading or droop- 

 ing, 2-3 in. long: umbel 5-10-rayed; 

 cyathia surrounded by large, dark 

 purple, broadly ovate, obtuse, con- 

 nate bracts; glands ovate. March. 

 Teneriffe. B.M. 3321. Some other 

 red-leaved species used for bedding 

 in Amer. have been cult, under this 

 name, i.e., a purplish variety of E. 

 pulcherrima, and possibly E. haema- 

 todes, Boiss. 



54. Regis- jabae, Webb. Like the 

 last but Ivs. narrowly linear and 

 bracts almost yellow: involucral 

 glands with 2 short horns. Teneriffe. 

 Some plants under this name are 

 E. piscatoria, Ait. See Suppl. list. 



55. dendroides, Linn. A large 

 branching shrub, more foliaceous than 

 the two preceding: Ivs. linear-lanceo- 

 late, obtuse or acute: bracts yellow- 

 ish, rhomboid-orbicular mucronate; 

 glands truncate or semi-lunate. 

 Medit. region. Gn. 36, p. 203. R.H. 

 1887:160. 



56. fulva, Stapf (E. eldstica, Altam. 

 & Rose). PALO AMARILLO. Small 

 tree: Ivs. lanceolate, acute, pubes- 

 cent : cyathia few, bracts small, glands 

 ovate: caps, conical, 1 in. long. Mex. 

 Used for rubber. 



ccc. Lvs. below the umbel alternate: leafy perennial herbs. 

 D. Glands of the involucre oval, entire. 



57. epithymoides, Jacq. (E. polychrdma, Kern.). 

 Fig. 1448. Many sts. 1 ft. or more long, forming a 

 hemispherical clump: rays of umbel 5: ivs. oblong, 

 dark green, those of the infl. various shades of yellow at 

 flowering time. May. Eu. B.M. 2258. Gn. 69, p. 295. 

 A beautiful plant for the formal or informal border. 



58. pildsa, Linn. Sts. about 18 in. high from a thick 

 rootstock, pilose: Ivs. oblong, nearly entire: umbel 5- 

 6-rayed, with similar branches below: caps. 2 lines 

 broad, nearly smooth or hairy, with or without minute 

 warts. Eu. and N. Asia. Var. major is a better form 

 for gardens with beautiful golden yellow foliage. 



59. palustris, Linn. Differs from E. pilosa chiefly in 

 being glabrous or nearly so, more rays in the umbel, 

 and caps, with small but distinct warts on the back. 

 Eu. Gn. 76, p. 499. The floral Ivs. are a bright yellow. 



DD. Glands of involucre truncate, retuse, 2-horned or 

 crescent-shaped. 

 E. Seeds smooth. 



60. Cyparissias, Linn. CYPRESS SPURGE and many 

 local names. Fig. 1449. Many short plume-like 

 branches from the crowns and adventitious root-buds, 

 covered with spreading, narrowly linear, dark green Ivs. 

 1 in. long. Eu. L.B.C. 2:118. G.C. II. 22:469. Kept. 

 Mo. Bot. Gard. 11, pi. 50. Cult, in old gardens and 

 cemeteries for its moss-like growth. Naturalized and 

 a weed in E. U. S., but rarely producing seed here. 



, ' 



1449. Euphorbia 



Cyparissias (X>i). 



No. 60. 



