SPURGE FAMILY. 383 



4. CROTON. (Greek name of the Castor-oil plant.) 



C. glandul6sus, Linn. Rough -hairy and glandular, umbellately 

 branched ; leaves oblong or linear-oblong and obtusely toothed ; sterile 

 flowers with 4-parted calyx, 4 petals and 4 rays on the disk, and 8 sta- 

 mens ; fertile flowers clustered a.t the base of the sterile spike, with 5- 

 parted calyx, very minute rudiments of petals, and three 2-cleft styles ; 

 l-2. Va., W. and S. 



C. capitatus, Michx. Densely soft-woolly and somewhat glandular, 

 l-2 ; leaves lance-oblong or long-oblong, rounded at the base, entire, 

 on long stalks ; sterile flowers with 5-parted calyx, 5 petals and 5 glands 

 alternating, and 10-14 stamens ; fertile flowers capitate at the base of the 

 short sterile spike, with 7-12-parted calyx, petals, and 3 styles twice or 

 thrice 2-parted. Barrens, N. J., S. and W. 



C. monanth6gynus, Michx. Plant a foot or two high, rusty- glandu- 

 lar and whitish-stellate-pubescent ; leaves narrow-oblong to ovate-oblong, 

 entire ; sterile flowers few on the summits of short and erect peduncles, 

 with 3-5-parted calyx and as many petals and glands, and 3-8-stamens ; 

 fertile flowers solitary or few on short recurved peduncles, with 5-parted 

 calyx, petals, 5 glands, and 2 sessile, 2-parted stigmas. Barren lands, 

 Ind., S. and W. 



5. CODLSJUM. (Name constructed from the Malayan name of one 

 species. ) Plants growing in the Oriental tropics and known in green- 

 houses as CROTONS. The cultivated forms are very numerous, being 

 distinguished by the handsome markings of the foliage. The common- 

 est species represented in these forms is C. variegatum, Blume (C. rfc- 

 TUM of horticultural literature). 



6. ACALYFHA. (Ancient Greek name of Nettle.} Several species 

 are cult, in choice greenhouses for ornamental foliage. Flowering 

 through late summer and autumn. 



A. Virginica, Linn. A common, coarse, low weed in fields, etc.; 

 smootlrish or hairy, turning purplish, with leaves varying from ovate to 

 ovate-oblong, serrate ; fertile flowers in short clusters ; pod and seed 

 smoothish. There is a variety with linear leaves, (p 



A. Caroliniana, Ell. Has thin heart-shaped, closely serrate leaves, 

 mostly a long terminal fertile spike, pods beset with soft prickles, and 

 seeds rough-wrinkled. N. J., W. and S. 



7. RICINUS, PALMA CHRISTI, CASTOR-OIL PLANT. (Latin 

 name of a bug, which the seed resembles.) 



R. communis, Linn. A sort of tree, but cult, in temperate climates as 

 a stately annual, for its seeds, from which castor-oil is expressed, and in 

 ornamental grounds for its magnificent foliage ; the peltate and palmately 

 7-11-cleft leaves l-2 broad, or even more ; flowers late summer. There 

 is only one species, although some of the most distinct forms have been 

 given specific names. Probably African. 



8. TRAGIA. (Named for Bock, an early herbalist, whose Latin name 

 was Tragus.} Ours % 



* Plant not truly twining ; leaves short-stalked. 



T. inndcua, Walt. Erect and branched, soft-hairy and not stinging, 

 6'-12'; leaves obovate-oblong to narrow-linear, acute at the base ; sta- 

 mens 2. Sandy soil, Va., S. 



