356 .SANTALACEJE. [Thesium. 



fascicled, pedicelled, white inside. Calyx funnel-shaped, lobes incurved in 

 fruit toothed. Fruit £ in., green, ovoid, contracted into the .'hort stout 

 pedicel.— Distrib. From Belgium southd., N. Africa, "W Asia. 



Order LXVIII. euphorbia'ce/b. 



Herbs, shrubs, or trees, juice often milky. Leaves usually alternate, 

 simple, often stipulate. Flowers small or minute, usually 1-sexual, brac- 

 teate or involucrate. Perianth 0, or sepals 2 or more. — Male. Stamens 

 1 or more ; anthers didymous. Ovary rudimentary or 0. — Female. Ovary 

 2-3-lobed, 2-3-celled ; styles 2-3, stigmas entire or lobed. Ovules 1-2, 

 collateral, pendulous from the top of each cell, funicle dilated over the 

 micropyle. Capsule 2-3-lobed and -celled, cells 1-2-seeded. Seeds pendu- 

 lous, testa usually crustaceous, funicle often swollen at the top (seeds 

 carunculate), albumen copious fleshy ; embyro axile, radicle superior. — 

 Distrib. All climates except Arctic ; genera 197 ; species about 3,000. — 

 Affinities. Close with Malvacece and Urticacece. — Properties. Usually 

 acrid, but too numerous to specify. — The above diagnosis applies to the 

 British genera. 



Tribe I. EUPHORBIEiE. Involucre calyciform with many male monan- 

 drous flowers surrounding one female. Perianth minute or 0..1. Euphorbia. 



Tribe II. BUXEffi, Flowers distinct. Stamens opposite the sepals. Ovules 

 2 in each cell 2. Buxus. 



Tribe III. CROTONE.ffi. Flowers distinct. Stamens, outer or all opposite 

 the sepals. Ovules solitary in each cell 3. Mercurialis. 



l. EUPHORBIA, L. Spurge. 



Herbs (the British species). Inflorescence of many male and one female 

 flower in a 4-5-lobed involucre (perianth of some) ; lobes with thick 

 glands at the sinuses. — Male fi. a pedicelled stamen ; anther didymous. 

 — Female fl. Ovary on a lengthening pedicel, inclined or pendulous ; 

 stigmas 2-fid. Capsule 3-lobed, 3-valved, valves with a coriaceous exocarp 

 separable from a hard 2-valved endocarp. Distrib. Of the Order ; 

 species 600. — Etym. The old Greek name. 



Section 1. Leaves exstipulate. Branches (or stem, if simple) ter- 

 minated by umbels of forked branchlets (rays) subtended by a whorl of 

 leaves ; rays 2-bracteate at the forks. 



* Leaves alternate. Umbels 5- rarely 3-6-rayed. Glands of involucre 

 transversely oblong reniform or orbicular, not cuspidate. 

 1. E. Heliosco'pia, L. ; annual, glabrous, rarely hairy, leaves nar- 

 rowly obovate serrate above the middle, upper bracts broadly ovate- cordate, 

 capsule smooth, seeds deeply pitted. Sun Spurge. 



