564 



EUPHORBIA 



-See E. 



■ilH for some 



spines short. Trop. Afr.- 

 plants sold under this num 



23. officininim, Linn. I 

 thick, 9-13-aDKlf.l,(l.. ply - 

 red, divergent (ir. I. il,.\,.,l, I 

 N. Afr. R.H. l,s7:,::!:;(i-:i7.-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. Ciput-MeddBae, Linn. Medusa's Head. Stem 

 short, obconical, fleshy: branches numerous from the 

 apex, soon declined around the main stem with their 

 ends erect, K 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 palmatifid. S. Afr. 

 L.B.C. 14: 1315. -Curious and rather rare. Var. mijor. 

 Ait. (J?. Commelini, DC), is a large, erect, unbranched 

 form, perhaps originating from branch cuttings. 



25. melo!6rmis, Ait. Pig. 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 

 h s and fls at the de- 

 pressed ape\ the old 

 forked branches of the 

 inflorescence subpersis? 

 tent but not spmose A 

 few small branches simi- 

 lar to the main stem usu- 

 alh present S Afr L.B. 

 C 5 4J6 A G 11 ibi -A 

 ver\ interesting and rare 

 plintinAmer Best grown 

 onlv under glass Often 

 mistaken for a cactus. 



formed of the sterile peduncles. 



26. cerei!6rmis, Linn. (E.erbsa, 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. polfgona. Haw., with more prominent and spiral 

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

 between them more obtuse, are closely related South 

 African species. 



27. H^Btrix, 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. Schcenb. 207. 



BBB. Stems herbaceous or woody, scarcely ever sUghtly 

 fleshy -stemmed : inflorescence umbellate : 

 stipules none, 

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



28. Lithyris, Linn. Caper Spurge. Mole Plant. 

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

 those of the inflorescence ovate-acuminate : glands 

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

 naturalized in ea,stern 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. ira. usually clustered at the ends of the branches: 



shrubs. 



29. atroporpi^ea, Brouss. A shrub, 3-6 ft. high, 

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

 ing lvs. 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. sanguinea in America, and used 

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

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

 purplish var. of E. pulcherrima. 



EUPHORBIA 



30. Efigis-Jilbffi, Webb. Like the last, but lvs. nar- 

 rowly linear and bracts not dark purple ; involucral 

 gland with 2 short horns. Teneriffe. 



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

 foliaceous than the two preceding: leaves linear-lanceo- 

 late, obtuse or ;unite: floral Ifavu.s yellowish, rhomboid- 



'■ M I--: Kill. Gn. 36, p. 203. 



li lanceolate leaves, 

 ' Hi I.). .ind palmate glands. 

 tin: E. arboiea offered by Blanc 

 probably belong iu this section, though the E. Grantii 

 of American dealers may possibly be Synadenitim 

 Grantii, Hook. 



CCC. Lvs. below the umbel alternate ; glands oval 



in the first species, in the others two horned: 



leafy herbs. 



33. epithymoldes, Jacq. (E. polychrdma, 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 



clump, uncommon in garden 



Mediterraiir: 



32. Grdnti 



large, loiii; a 



E. Africa. ' 



fine. 

 34. robusta. 



stemmed j" i 

 tains, the Inr 



h1 Palnipri, Kngelm., are many 

 ' I an the Rocky moun 



' I liigh.more or less 



with small -^ij.ned seeds. They 



have been oilLia.i l..i ...ak . J^ui L.i. u little cultural value, 



35. GyparisBiaB, 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. Natalinsis, Bemh. Stems many, X-1 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. 



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

 Fleshy forms: E. anacantha, A\t.—E. bupleurifblia, Jac^i. 

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

 top.— £. Bojeri, Hook. NearE. splendens.— £. Brcint=E.Bojeri. 

 — E. Capensis. Hort.— E. cfandestina, J.icq. — E. ennedgona, 

 Haw.= cereiformis, Linn.— £. fimbriata,HoTt.^—E. Foumiiri, 



