EUPHORBIAOE^. 



V. EXC^CAEIE^. 



98. Excaecaria L. — Flowers monoecious or more rarely diœcioiis, 

 apetalons, often 2-o-raeroiis. Sepals 2, 3 of male calyx (of which 1 

 is posterior), very rarely 4, free or more or less high connate, iml)ri- 

 cate, sometimes small or very minute, incised or glanduliibrm, or 

 more rarely rudimentary or 0. Stamens usually 2,3, alternating with 

 a like number of sepals, more rarely 1, or 4-15 ; filaments central 

 free or oftener more or less high connate in central cylindrical column, 

 very rarely conical ; anthers oxtrorse, short ; cells long adnate, de- 

 hiscing by longitudinal clefts, sometimes short poriform. Calyx of 

 female flower as in male. Germon sessile or very short stipitato ; 

 cells usually 2, 3, alternating with sepals, ovule in cells solitary de- 

 scendent ; micropyle extrorse superior, usually obtected with short 

 small obturator ; style more or less high, ramified sometimes nearly 

 to base ; branches terete or more rarely larainiforra-comprcssed, stig- 

 matiferous within, patulous or oftener recurved or revolute. Fruit 

 capsular, usually 2-3-coccous ; columella more or less elongate, some- 

 times obsolete, base often horizontally dilated in 3-angular-cornute 

 carpophore. Seeds at micropyle variously or not arillat^-incrassate ; 

 chalaza basilar or sometimes more or less ventral ; albumen copious 

 oily ; radicle of straight, vertical, more rarely oblique or sub-horizontal 

 embryo much narrower than foliaceous cotyledons. — Trees, shrubs or 

 more rarely under-shrubs or herbs ; juice often milky ; leaves alter- 

 nate, rarely opposite or sub-verticillatc simple ; limb often glandular- 

 dentate or furnished with basilar variously formed glands ; stipules 

 membraneous entii-e, lacerate, or glanduliform, more rarely ; flowers 

 spicate or racemose, terminal or more rarely axillary or lateral ; 

 female sessile or pedicellate, the inferior in inflorescence androgynous ; 

 others male, either 1-bracteate or glomerate or cymose in each bract; 

 bracts and bractlets usually, like the leaves, 2-glanduliferous at base. 

 {Jll trop.' and suh-tro^). regions.). See p. 133. 



99. Senefeldera Mart.^ — Flowers monœcious (nearly of E.vcœ- 

 caria); male calyx obovoid, shortly o-lobed, imbricated. Stamens 

 6-8, or fewer by abortion, inserted in conical thick receptacle, free 

 2-seriatc ; anthers extrorse, 2-rimose. Female flowers (of Excœcaria) 



1 Ini='toi-«(1841),ii. if«R 29.— Kl. inSric/js. /«Z&r« Endl. Ocn. Suppl. ii. 88.— H. Bk. 

 Arch. vii. 184.— M. Arg. Prodr. llbZ.— Senne- Etiphorb. 635, t. 9, fig. 30, 31. 



