320 THE KINDS OF PLANTS 



). EUPHORBIA. Spurge. 



Flowers monoecious enclosed in au involucre, which is 4-5 lobed and 

 often showj', resembling a perianth: starainate flowers each consisting of 

 a stamen jointed to filament-like pedicel, subtended by a minute bract, 

 attached on the inner surface of the involucre: the solitary pistillate flower, 

 standing at tlie bottom of the involucre, is at length protruded on a stalk: 

 capsule 3-lobed and 3 celled: styles 3, each 2-cleft: stigmas 6. Many of the 

 species are cultivated for ornamental purposes, as E. splendens, Crown of 

 Thorns; £. Cyparissias, Cypress Spurge. 



E. corollata, Linn. Flowering spurge. Perennial, 2-3 ft., slender- 

 branclied: leaves mostly alternate, or the uppermost ones, or those on 

 the branches opposite, whorled, oval, rather thick, usually pale beneath: 

 flowering branches much forked: involucres terminal, or on peduncles, from 

 the forks of the branches, the lobes snowy white, appearing like petals with 

 oblong yellowish-green glands at base of each. In drj' or sandy soil, 

 common. July to October. 



E. maculata, Linn. Small plant, prostrate or spreading, the branches 

 slender and radiating, dark green, often dark red: leaves oblong-linear, 

 usually with red-brQwn spots in centre: involucre minute, the corolla-like 

 appendages narrow, white or red. A common inconspicuous weed through- 

 out North America, except the extreme north. 



E. pulch6rrima, Willd. Poinsettia. Floralleaves brilliant red: flowers 

 in a greenish involucre, with a large yellow gland on sujnmit. A Mexican 

 species, well known as an ornamental greenhouse plant. 



2. FtCINUS. Castor-oil Plant. Figs. 288, 289, 290. 



Tall stately, perennial heib (annual N.),with large, alternate, palmately- 

 cleft leaves: flowers monoecious, apetalous, greenish, in terminal racemes 

 or panicled clusters, the pistillate flowers above the others; styles large, 

 reddish. 



B. commiinis, Linn. Caxtor bean. Palma Christi. Stem erect from 

 3-12 ft., somewhat branched: leaves very large, peltate, lobes acute, 

 pointed, toothed: seeds smooth, black, mottled or variegated with gray and 

 brown. Grown for medicinal and ornamental purposes. Tropical. 



XIV. CARYOPHYLLACE^. Fink Family. 



Herbs, with opposite, mostly narrow, entire leaves without conspic- 

 uous veins: flowers 4-5-merous, sometimes apetalous, with stamens 

 twice or less the nutnber of sepals or petals, and 2 to 5 styles which 

 may be wholly separate or partially united: pod usually a 1-loculed 

 capsule commonly inclosed in the calyx, mostly splitting from the 

 top, the seeds usually attached to a central column. Genera between 

 30 and 40, species about 1,000. Representative plants are pink, 



