EUPHORBIA CE^] 487 



sions, the longer of which are linear, acute, aristate ; the shorter 

 subulate. 



Mercurialis ann.ua, Mull. Arg. 



Hypocotyl erect, quadrangular, glabrous, 4-6 cm. long, light 

 green or colourless. 



Cotyledons ovate or subrotund, obtuse, entire, petiolate with 

 rather long petioles, glabrous, light green, trinerved at the base 

 with the midrib dividing into two branches near the centre of the 

 leaf. 



Stem erect, quadrangular, herbaceous, glabrous ; 1st internode 

 5-6 mm. long ; 2nd considerably shorter. 



First leaves simple, cauline, opposite, decussate, petiolate, stipu- 

 late, ovate, acute, serrate or crenate, rather hairy, light green, dis- 

 tinctly pinnatinerved ; stipules apparently persistent, small ; petioles 

 short, channelled on the upper side. 



In two out of eight specimens there were three cotyledons, and 

 the first leaves were verticillate in whorls of three. 



Acalypha virginica, Null. Arg. 



Hypocotyl erect, terete, minutely pubescent, 1*5-3 cm. long, 

 light green or colourless, stained with red near the base. 



Cotyledons orbicular, obtuse, slightly emarginate, petiolate, 

 glabrous or with a few minute hairs on the edges and petioles, dark 

 green, trinerved with the principal veins much branched. 



Stem with primary internodes but slightly developed. 



First leaves simple, cauline, opposite, ovate, obtuse, crenate- 

 serrate, hairy, pinnatinerved, shortly petiolate, stipulate. Sub- 

 sequent leaves alternate. 



Ricinus communis, L. 



Ovary as in Jatropha. 



Fruit dry, trilobed, three-seeded, breaking up into three two- 

 valved cocci. 



Seed ovoid-oblong, dorso-ventrally compressed, 1'5-1'65 cm. 

 long, 9-10 mm. wide ; testa crustaceous, shining, marked with deep 

 shining brown on a grey ground ; raphe ventral ; chalaza at the 

 base of the ventral aspect ; micropyle superior, forming a large, 

 white, emarginate process, separated from the rest of the seed by a 

 constriction ; hilum apical on the ventral aspect, almost concealed 

 by the micropyle. 



Endosperm abundant, fleshy or oily, white, surrounding the 

 embryo. 



