EUPHORBIACEvE 475 



loculicidally ; exocarp thick, hard or sub woody, separating from the 

 thin pale-coloured endocarp. 



Seed shortly oblong, thick but slightly laterally compressed, 

 arillate, somewhat variegated with brown, sculptured all over, 

 suspended from the axile placenta at the apex of the cell ; testa 

 thick and crustaceous ; tegmen thin and membranous ; hilum 

 and micropyle superior on the pendulous seed and contiguous ; 

 raphe ventral ; chalaza inferior ; arillode whitish, forming a 

 slightly elevated cap or shield on the hilum, crenate at the 

 margin and having a groove on its under side to accommodate the 

 raphe. 



Endosperm copious, fleshy, whitish. 



Embryo straight, embedded in the endosperm and somewhat 

 shorter than the latter ; cotyledons oblong, obtuse, entire, plano- 

 convex, closely applied face to face, lying in the broader way of the 

 seed with their edges to the raphe and axis, much narrower than the 

 endosperm but somewhat broader than the radicle ; radicle oblong 

 or cylindrical, obtuse, about equalling the cotyledons in length or 

 shorter, central or lying somewhat obliquely so as to be in the longer 

 axis of the seed, and point to the micropyle at one corner above the 

 cap-like arillode. 



Seedling. 



Primary root long, stout, tapering, fleshy, subflexuose, with 

 fleshy, flexuose, lateral rootlets. 



Hypocotyl erect, terete, fleshy, glabrous, purple and shining, with 

 a few scattered small red protuberances like bilobed glandular 

 processes, about 8'8 cm. long, but very variable according to cul- 

 tural treatment. 



Cotyledons long, foliaceous and slightly smaller than, but pre- 

 cisely similar to the first pair of leaves, sessile, linear, obtuse, one- 

 nerved, glabrous, deep subglaucous-green above, glaucous beneath, 

 subconnate at the base forming a narrow rim around the stem, 

 horizontal, 2' 1-5 cm. long. 



Stem erect, terete, fleshy, biennial, glabrous, glaucous or suffused 

 with a purplish tint ; 1st internode 1*1 cm. long ; 2nd and 3rd each 

 1 cm. ; 4th 6 mm. ; 5th and Gth 4 mm. 



Leaves simple, entire, cauline, opposite, decussate, exstipulate, 

 very shortly petiolate or subsessile, horizontal, deep subglaucous- 

 green above with a white midrib, glaucous beneath, very glabrous, 

 linear-oblong, obtuse, apiculate, with the upper ones wider and 

 longer, flat or the younger ones slightly grooved on the upper side, 



