NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



and its stem makes one of the false white American Ipecacuanhas, 

 Nearly all our European species of Euphorbia are vomitive and pur^ 

 gative hydragogues, and cannot be handled without care, particularly 

 E. Cyparissias^^ Esula,^ Gerardiana^ IlcUoscopa* Feplus,^ Fithy- 

 usa,^ etoJ They owe their powerful properties sometimes to the 

 latex they contain, which becomes so abundant in the cactiform 

 species of warm countries, often cultivated in our hothouses, such as 

 E. neriifolia^ canariensis^ antiquorum^^ grandidens,^^ virosa,^^ 

 abyssinica,^^ Caput-Medusœ^'^ meloformis^^ ylobosa^'^' triaculeata,^'' 

 candelabrum}^^ and officinarwn}^ Tlie production of the gum resin 

 of Euphorbia was for a long time attributed to the latter species, this 

 substance is yielded by the E. resinifera "° of Morocco, and consists 

 of a dry, yellowish, friable, acrid, sterniitatory juice, nearly as vesi- 

 eative as cantharïdes, and whose employment as a purgative is gene- 

 rally abandoned as too dangerous. The number of Eupliorbiacece 

 with irritant, poisonous latex, is considerable,-^ and this latex gene- 

 rally flows in abundance fi-om incisions made in the tniuk or branches. 

 The most celebrated are : the Manchineel,^" particularly common in 



I L. Spec. 661.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 636. {Pdit 

 Cypres, Rlnibarbe des pauvres.) 



^ L. Spec. 660. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 637. 

 ( Grande- Ésu le Embruiiehée.) 



^Jacq. fi. Austr. V. 17, t. 436. — Boiss. 

 Prodr. n. 668.— (£. de Gérard.) 



* L. Spec. 658. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 539. {Réoeil- 

 matin, Omllette, Lait de couleuvre, etc.) 



5 L. Spec. 658. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 655.— J'. 

 peploides Griseb. {Petit Réveil-mnti».) 



«L. Spic. 656.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 587.- 

 Gken. et GoDR. Fl. de Fr. iii. 86 (à fexùUes de 

 Oenéorier), — E. miicroiiafa Lap. 



'SeeRosENTH. op. cit. 81 0-818. 



s L. Sort. Cliff. 196 (part.).— DC. PI. Gr. ii. 

 t. 46.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 292.— Lii/îdaria... 

 EuMPH. Serb. Amb. x. t, 40. 



9 L. Sjiec. 646.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 314. 



I» L. Sort. Cliff. 196.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 302.— 

 SchadidacaUi Eheed. 



II Haw. in Phil. Mag. (1825), 33.— Boiss. 

 Prodr. n. 310. — E. arboresceiis hort. 



12 "W. Si>ee. 832.— Boiss. Prodr. 315. 



13 Eœusch. Nom. Bot. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 318. 

 {Kolquall. from Abyss, ex Bruce.) 



" L. Sort. Cliff, ii. 135.— Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 

 1315.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 326. 



1» Ait. Sort. Kew. ii. 135. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 

 332.— Andb. Bot. Rcp. t. 617. 



i« SiMS, in Bot. Mag. t. 2624.— Boiss. Prodr. 



n. 330. — Sacti/lanthcs globosa Haw. 



'7 FoRSK. Fl. .Sg.-Arab. 94.— Vahl, Symb. ii. 

 53.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 322. 



isTrémx, exKL. Allgcm. Ueh. d. NUI, 13.— 

 Boiss. Prodr. n. 319. 



" L. Spec. 647.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 320. 



2" Berg et ScHM. Barst. off. Geic. iy. t. 34 d. 

 — Coss. sur \' Euphorbia resinifera, in Bull. Soc, 

 Roy. Bot. Belg. x. 5. 



■-' Above all are mentioned Euphorbia palus- 

 tris, pilosa, and Chamœyyce in Europe, and in 

 America E. laurifolia and buxifolia, which are 

 powerful purgatives ; in the East E. aleppica. 

 Deslongchamps has praised E. Gerardiana 

 (note 3) as a vomitive. Among the cactiform 

 species E. neriifolia and canariensis are men- 

 tioned as powerful deohstruents. All lacteoua 

 species of Euphorbia have without doubt the 

 same properties. Theii- action is due to a vola- 

 tile principle, for warmth renders them inof- 

 fensive. Thus E. balsamifera, a violent purga- 

 tive, becomes when cooked, a tasteless aliment. 

 Camels eat E. Tiruealle cooked, which, when 

 raw, is a powerful poison. The species of 

 Pedilanthtts particularly P. tithymaloides, padi- 

 folius, aiigustifolius and Codiœum, Eire also very 

 active évacuants. 



•" Sippomane Maneinella L. Spec. 1431, — 

 jAca. Amcr. 250, t. 159— Sw. Obs. 369.— Turp. 

 in Diet. Sisi. Nat. Atl. t. 278.— A. Rich. Cuba, 



