THE SPURGE FAMILY. 305 



Sea Islands. Their flowers are green and inconspicuous, being 

 borne on different spikes or racemes on the same plant 

 (monoecious). The male flowers are small, with numerous 

 stamens ; while the female flowers have no petals, but bear a 

 three-celled ovary or seed-vessel, having a three-lobed style, 

 and each cell of the ovary contains a single seed, as in many 

 other Spurgeworts. They are readily propagated by cuttings 

 of the young growth inserted in light sandy soil, and placed on 

 a genial bottom-heat in a close case, where the temperature 

 varies from 75 to 80. Most of the varieties variable as 

 they undoubtedly are may be referred to C. pictum ; indeed, 

 only two other species are known. In the Moluccas this 

 plant is grown as a decorative shrub, and made into 

 fences, much as Box is used here at home ; while in the 

 South Sea Islands numerous seminal varieties are found. 

 Some of the most distinct of these were introduced about ten 

 years ago by the late Mr John Gould Veitch, and since the 

 introduction of these others have been imported, and many 

 seminal varieties have originated in the London nurseries, 

 others having been originated by sports. These varieties 

 vary immensely from seed, scarcely two plants coming exactly 

 alike ; and seed is very freely borne on well-grown plants, if 

 due precautions are taken to fertilise the female flowers with 

 pollen from the males, the only difficulty being to obtain male 

 flowers when the female ones are open. If the female flowers 

 are fertilised by pollen from a distinct variety, some very good 

 results may be expected. The seeds should be sown as soon 

 as they are gathered, in a well-drained pot. or pan, in light 

 sandy compost, and placed in a bottom-heated case where the 

 temperature is 70 to 80. Germination soon takes place ; and 

 as the plants grow very quickly seedlings even faster than 

 cuttings the hybridiser has not long to wait for results. 

 Careful cross-fertilisation is always to be recommended, even 

 in the case of the most sportive of all plants, such as Calceo- 

 larias or Mimulus ; yet seeds of Crotons often give many new 

 forms when fertilised with pollen from the same variety : indeed 

 they are as variable in this respect as the variegated Dracaenas 

 or Caladiums. 



Croton Bellulum is a seedling from C. cornutum, crossed 

 with pollen from C. Weismannianum. 



C. Andreanum is a seedling from C. maximum, fecundated 

 with pollen from C. Veitchii (see * LTllustration Horticole,' 

 1875, pl- 201 an d pi. 210). 



It is simply impossible to attempt to give the parentage of 

 all the cross-bred varieties which have been raised in our own 



