564 



EUPHORBIA 



EUPHORBIA 



spines short. Trop. Afr.-See E. Tirucalli for some 

 plants sold under this name. 



23. officinarum, Linn. Fruticose: branches 2%-3 in. 

 thick, 9-13-angled, deeply sulcate; edges repand; spines 

 red, divergent or deflexed, 1-1^ lines long: Ivs. minute. 

 N. Afr. R.H. 1875: 336-37. -E. Beaumeriana, Hook. & 

 Coss., and E. echinus, Hook. & Coss., are closely re- 

 lated species from the same region. 



ccc. Branches with spines, if any, not stipular, but in 



the place of Ivs. or branches 



D. Spines not present. 



24. Caput- Medusae, Linn. MEDUSA'S HEAD. Stem 

 short, obconical, fleshy: branches numerous from the 

 apex, soon declined around the main stem with their 

 ends erect, > in. or more in diam., 6-12 in. long, covered 

 with depressed, keeled tubercles, each bearing a small, 

 linear-lanceolate leaf ; glands of the involucre white, 

 rather conspicuous, the outer lip palmatifld. S. Afr. 

 L.B.C. 14:1315. Curious and rather rare. Var. major, 

 Ait. (E. Commelini,DG.),is a large, erect, unbranched 

 form, perhaps originating from branch cuttings. 



25. melof6rmis, Ait. Fig. 799. Globose or pyriform, 

 3-5 in. in diam., deeply 8-10-costate, the ribs obscurely 

 tuberculate on the almost acute angles, the sides trans- 

 versely dark and light 

 green striped or wrinkled 

 when old: the few small 

 Ivs. and fls. at the de- 

 pressed apex : the old 

 forked branches of the 

 inflorescence subpersis- 

 tent but not spinose. A 

 few small branches simi- 

 lar to the main stem usu- 

 ally present. S. Afr. L.B. 

 C. 5:436. A.G. 11:463. -A 

 very interesting and rare 

 plant in Amer. Best grown 

 only under glass. Often 



799. Euphorbia meloformis. mistaken for a cactus. 



DD. Spines formed of the sterile peduncles. 



26. cereifdrmis, Linn. (E. erosa, Willd.). Erect, 3 ft. 

 or more high, little branched : branches erect, with 8-13 

 tuberculate ribs : Ivs. very small : peduncles usually 

 with only one involucre, the sterile ones forming dark 

 colored spines 4-7 lines long. S. Afr. L.B.C. 14:1334. 

 E. polygona, Haw., with more prominent and spiral 

 ribs, and E. heptagona, Linn., with 7-8 ribs and sulci 

 between them more obtuse, are closely related South 

 African species. 



27. Hystrix, Jacq. A shrub, 2-3 ft. high, not ribbed: 

 podaria depressed: Ivs. 2-3 in. long, linear ; spines nu- 

 merous, 1-2 in. long, erect-spreading. S. Afr. Jacq. 

 Hort. Schoenb. 207. 



BBS. Stems herbaceous or woody, scarcely ever slightly 

 fleshy-stemmed : - inflorescence umbellate: 

 stipules none. 



Q. Lvs. below the umbel decussate : tall herbs. 



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

 Fig. 800. Annual, 2-3 ft. tall : Ivs. long, lance-linear, 

 those of the inflorescence ovate-acuminate ; glands 

 short-horned : capsules somewhat fleshy. Eu., and 

 naturalized in eastern U.S. Rept. Mo. Bot. Gard. 11, 

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

 pickled. Seeds used as a purgative. Said to drive 

 moles from its neighborhood (see Cornell Bull. 61:331). 



cc. Lvs. usually clustered at the ends of the branches: 

 shrubs. 



29. atropurpurea, Brouss. A shrub, 3-6 ft. high, 

 branched : the pale, glaucous green, spreading or droop- 

 ing Ivs. crowded at the ends of the branches, 2-3 in. 

 long : umbel 5-10-rayed ; involucres surrounded by 2 

 large, dark purple, broadly ovate, obtuse, connate bracts. 

 March. Teneriffe. B.M. 3321. -Plants known as E 

 atropurpurea and E. sanguined in America, and used 

 for bedding, are in part E. hcematodes, Boiss., a species 

 of Section A not well known to botanists, and partly a 

 purplish var. of E. pulcherrima. 



30. Bdgis-Jubae, Webb. Like the last, but Ivs. nar- 

 rowly linear and bracts not dark purple ; involucral 

 gland with 2 short horns. Teneriffe. 



31. dendroides, Linn. A large, branching shrub, more 

 foliaceous than the two preceding: leaves linear-lanceo- 

 late, obtuse or acute; floral leaves yellowish, rhomboid- 

 orbicular, mucronate, glands truncate or semi-lunate. 

 Mediterranean region. R.H. 1887:160. Gn. 36, p. 203. 



32. Grantii, Oliv. Small shrub with lanceolate leaves, 

 large, long acuminate, ovate bracts and palmate glands. 

 E. Africa. This and the E. arborea offered by Blanc 

 probably belong in this section, though the E. Grantii 

 of American dealers may possibly be Synadenium 

 Grantii, Hook. 



ccc. Lvs. below the umbel alternate; glands oval 

 in the first species, in the others two horned: 

 leafy herbs. 



33. epithymoides, Jacq. (E. polychrbma, Kern.). A 

 herbaceous perennial, a foot or more high, with oblong, 

 dark green leaves, floral leaves different shades of yel- 

 low at flowering time. May. Europe. B.M. 2258. -Grow- 

 ing in a fine, compact clump, uncommon in gardens. 



34. robusta, Small, and Palmeri, Engelm., are many- 

 stemmed perennials, the former from the Rocky moun- 

 tains, the latter from S. Calif., a foot high, more or less, 

 with small ovate leaves and roughened seeds. They 

 have been offered for sale, but have little cultural value. 



35. Cyparissias, Linn. Herb, perennial from root buds, 

 the short plume-like branches covered with spreading, 

 narrow linear, dark green leaves an inch long: seeds 

 smooth. Europe. L.B.C. 2:118. G.C. II. 22:469. Rept. 

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

 moss-like growth. Naturalized and a weed in east U.S. 



36. Natal6nsis, Bernh. Stems many, %-l ft. high: 

 umbel 3-5-rayed, head-like : leaves crowded, narrow 

 linear-lanceolate, subcoriaceous. S. Africa. 



37. Myrsinites, Linn. Perennial herb : many declined 

 stems covered with large, fleshy, glaucous, obovate or 

 ovate-oblong, concave, pointed leaves : umbel 7-12-rayed : 

 glands and flowers yellow. Europe. A plant of old 

 gardens, good for rockeries. 



Euphorbia Lathyris. 

 Seen endwise to show 4-ranked leaves. 



Plants in cult, in Europe but not in the American trade: 

 Fleshy forms: E. anacdntha, Ait.E. bupleurifblia, Jacq. 

 Short, thick, scaly stem, with a cluster of large leaves at the 

 top. E. Bdjeri, Hook. NearE.splendens. E. .Bredm=E.Bojeri. 

 E. Capensis, Hort. E. clandestina, Jacq. E. ennedgona, 

 Haw.= cereiformis, Linn. E. fimbricita.Hort.lE.Fournttri. 



