SrUUGE FAMILY. 383 



4. CROTON. (Greek name of the Castor-oil plant.) ® 



C. glandul6sus, Linn. Rough-hairy and slanduiar, umbellately 

 branched ; leaves oblong or linear-oblong and obtusely toothed ; sterile 

 flowers with 4-parted calyx, 4 petals and 4 rays on the disk, and 8 sta- 

 mens ; fertile flowers clustered at the base of the sterile spike, with 5- 

 parted calyx, very minute rudiments of petals, and three 2-cleft styles ; 

 10-2^\ Va., W. and S. 



C. capit^tus, Michx. Densely soft-woolly and somewhat glandular, 

 l°-2° ; leaves lance-oblong or long-oblong, rounded at the base, entire, 

 on long stalks ; sterih^ flowers witii 'j-parted calyx, 5 petals and 5 glands 

 alternating, and 10-14 stamens ; fertile flowers capitate at the base of the 

 short sterile spike, with 7-12-parted calyx, petals, and 3 styles twice or 

 thrice 2-parted. Barrens, N. J., 8. and W. 



C. monanthdgynus, Michx. Plant a foot or two high, rusty-glandu- 

 lar and whitish-stellate-pubescent ; leaves narrow-oblong to ovate-oblong, 

 entire ; sterile flowers few on the summits of short and erect peduncles, 

 with 3-5-parted calyx and as many petals and glands, and 3-8-stamens ; 

 fertile flowers solitary or few on short recurved peduncles, with 5-parted 

 calyx, petals, 5 glands, and 2 sessile, 2-parted stigmas. Barren lands, 

 Ind., S. and W. 



5. CODI.S1UM. (Name constructed from the Malayan name of one 

 species. ) Plants growing in the Oriental tropics and known in green- 

 houses as Crotons. The cultivated forms are very numerous, being 

 distinguished by the handsome markings of the foliage. The connnon- 

 est species represented in these forms is C. variegatum, Blume (C. pfc- 

 Tuii of horticultui-al literature). 



6. ACALYPHA. (Ancient Greek name of Nettle.) Several species 

 are cult, in choice greenhouses for ornamental foliage. Flowering 

 through late summer and autumn. 



A. Virglnica, Linn. A common, coarse, low weed in fields, etc.; 

 smoothish or hairy, turning purplish, with leaves varying from ovate to 

 ovate-oblong, serrate ; fertile flowers in short clusters ; pod and .seed 

 smoothish. Tiiere is a variety with linear leaves. ® 



A. Caroliniina, P^il. Has thin heart-shaped, closely serrate leaves, 

 mostly a long terminal fertile spike, pods beset with soft prickles, and 

 seeds rough-wrinkled. N. J., W. and S. 



7. RICINUS, PALMA CHKLSTI, CASTOR-OIL PLANT. (Latin 

 name of a bug, which the seed resembles.) 



R. communis, Liini. A sort of tree, but cult, in temperate climates as 

 a stately annual, for its seeds, from wiiich castor-oil is expressed, and in 

 ornamental grounds for its magnificent foliage ; the peltate and palmately 

 7-11-cleft leaves l°-2° broad, or even more ; flowers late summer. There 

 is only one species, although some of the most distinct forms have been 

 given specific names. Probably African. 



8. TRAGIA. (Named f(n- BorJ,; an early herbalist, who.se Latin name 

 was Trndiis.) Ours 2/ 



« I'lant )i(it trithi tiriuiiii/ ; hai-es short-stal/ced. 



T. inn6cua, Walt. Erect and branched, soft-hairy and not stinging, 

 0'-12'; ieaves obovate-oblong to narrow-linear, acute at the base ; sta- 

 mens 2. Sandy soil, Va., S. 



