562 



EUPHORBIA 



EUPHORBIA 



in spring, shake them out, prune them to an eye or two, 

 cut out the dead parts, repot them, and presently they 

 will start to grow again. They may be gradually har- 

 dened, plunged outdoors and grown in the full sun dur- 

 ing summer, giving them a shift during growth if extra 

 luxuriance is desired. If bench culture is desirable, 

 plants may be turned into the ground from 4-inch pots, 

 or even from the propagating bed, grown until the end 

 of August or later southward, the leaves stripped from 

 all the stems but the upper foot or so, lifted, and laid 

 flat on the benches, with a bushel or so of good soil over 

 the roots and about an inch over the benches in the 

 spaces. The next rank of plants may have their tops 

 laid well over the roots of the first, and so proceed until 

 all are planeed. The ends soon turn up as growth starts, 

 and the heads are very large and fine with suitable 

 temperature and attention. Sometimes mealy bug gets 

 into the heads. It may be driven out by a moderate 

 stream of water from a hose, supporting the heads with 

 one hand to avoid breaking. They are quite brittle. 

 The milkiness produced by cutting may be got rid of by 

 standing the stems in water, for it is sticky, stains, and 

 is disagreeable. For small pot-plants the green tops, 

 about 6 or 8 inches long, may be taken in August, dib- 

 bled into well drained 4-in. pots, set on mild bottom 



Natalensis, 36. 

 neriifolia, 9. 

 Palmeri, 34. 

 pandurata, 5. 

 pendula, 6. 

 Pfersdorffii, 21. 



Poinsettia, 4. 

 polygona, 26. 

 pulcherrima, 4. 

 Regis-Jubae, 30. 

 rhipsaloides, 1. 

 robusta, 34. 



sanguinea, 29. 

 splendens, 8. 

 Tirucalli, 7. 

 triangularis, 17. 

 variegata, 1. 

 virosa, 19. 



795. Euphorbia marginata (X 



heat, or placed in a rather humid equable temperature 

 southward. They must not be over-watered or too densely 

 shaded, when they will soon strike, form handsome little 

 plants, often with leaves to the pots, and be very useful 

 for many purposes. For detailed points by professional 

 growers, see A.F. 11:285, 457; 12:536. 



JAMES MACPHERSON. 



A. Involucres flower-like, icith 4 or 5 petaloid ap- 

 pendages 



1. marginata, Pursh (E. variegata, Sims). SNOW- 

 ON- THE -MOUNTAIN. Fig. 795. Plant 2 ft. high, pubes- 

 cent, dichotomously many-branched : Ivs. numerous, 

 with stipules, light green, 1-3 in. long, ovate-subcordate 

 to oblong-lanceolate, the upper ones margined, with 

 white or some entirely white ; involucres in the forks 

 of the branches, their appendages large, white. July- 

 Oct. Plains from Dakota to Texas and extending east- 

 ward. B.M. 1747. Gt. 30:218. Hardy annual, used for 

 its white foliage in bedding and mixed borders in sunny 

 situations. 



2. corollata, Linn. FLOWERING SPURGE. Fig. 794. 

 Plant 13^-3 ft. high, usually glabrous, slender and dif- 

 fusely branched above: Ivs. without stipules, ovate-ob- 

 long to lanceolate, 1-2 in. long, those of the inflores- 

 cence much smaller and opposite ; appendages of the 

 numerous involucres 5, white, conspicuous for the ge- 

 nus. July-Oct. Rather dry soil in east U. S. B.M. 

 2992. L.B.C. 4:390. F.R. 1:909. A hardy herbaceous 

 perennial, used like Gypsophila for cutting and as a bed- 

 der in light soil. Very variable in size and shape of 

 plant, leaves and inflorescence. 



3. fulgens, Karwinsky (E. jacquiniceflora, Hook.). 

 SCARLET PLUME. Fig. 796. Small shrub, with slender, 

 drooping branches: Ivs. long-petioled, lanceolate, bright 

 green ; involucres in small axillary cymes, their 5 con- 

 spicuous bracts bright orange-scarlet. Mexico. B.M. 

 3673. G.C. II. 19:816. A handsome winter-blooming 

 plant, used for cut-flowers or for specimen plants. 



AA. Involucres without petaloid appendages to their 

 glands, but the glands or subtending bracts 

 sometimes colored petal-like. 



B. Stem herbaceous or shrubby, not fleshy: upper 

 leaves colored : stipules glanduliform : inflores- 

 cence cymose. 



4. pulch6rrima, Willd. (E. Poinsettidna, Buist. Poin- 

 settia pulcherrima, Grah.). POINSETTIA. Fig. 797. A 

 shrub, 2-6 ft. high, branched : Ivs. ovate-elliptical to 

 lanceolate, entire, sinuate-toothed or lobed, or panduri- 

 form, 46 in. long, somewhat pubescent, becoming nar- 

 rower, more entire and of the brightest vermilion-red 

 above ; involucres greenish, with one large yellow 

 gland. Nov.-Feb. Moist, shaded parts of tropical Mex- 

 ico and Central America. B.M. 3493. G.C. III. 21:125, 

 193. Sometimes cut, usually used for specimen plants 

 and in masses. A gorgeous plant. Varieties with white 

 and yellow bracts occur. Var. plenissima, Hort., has a 

 double series of bracts and forms a wider and higher 

 head. G.C. III. 5:17. 



5. heterophylla, Linn. (E. pandurata, Hort.?). MEX- 

 ICAN FIRE PLANT. HYPOCRITE PLANT. PAINTED LEAF. 



FlRE-ON-THE-MOUNTAIN. ANNUAL POINSETTIA. Annual, 



nearly glabrous, 2-3 ft. high : Ivs. ovate and sinuate- 

 toothed or fiddle-shaped, or some of them linear or lan- 

 ceolate and entire, dark green, the upper bright red at 

 the base or only the tips green, involucral glands 1 or 2. 

 July-Sept. Eastern and central U. S. to Peru. Mn. 

 2, p. 53. Gt. 39, p. 105. Easily grown in sunny places and 

 also in pots indoors. White and yellow variegated forms 

 are in cultivation in this country. 



BB. Stem more or less fleshy or spiny, often cactus- 

 like: leaves small, none or soon deciduous; in- 

 volucres single or few together. 



c. Branches short cylindrical, smooth, quill- or rush- 

 like, slender. 



6. pendula, Boiss. Branchlets many, slender, pendu- 

 lous: Ivs. very small, opposite. S. Africa ? 



7. Tirucalli, Linn. (E.rhipsaloldes, Lem.). A tree, 

 20 ft. high, with many slender subverticillate ascend- 

 ing branches ; twigs 4-8 in. long : Ivs. 5-8 lines long, 

 few, alternate. E. Africa and India. A striking plant. 



