432 EUPHORBIACE^E. (SPURGE FAMILY.) 



* * Seeds minutely roughened, or transversely wrinkled, or pitted, ash-colored, or (in 

 the last species) blackish : leaves more or less serrulate, smooth or often hairy. 



4. E. serpyllifblia, Pers. Glabrous, prostrate-spreading ; leaves obovate- 

 oblong, narrowed at the very oblique base, sharply serrulate towards the obtuse 

 apex (3" -6" long, often with a red spot); stipules lanceolate, fimbriate; pe- 

 duncles as long or longer than petioles, at length in loose foliaceous lateral clus- 

 ters ; glands 'of the small involucre with narrow somewhat toothed appendages ; 

 pods sharply angled ; seeds acutely quadrangular, slightly cross-wrinkled and often 

 pitted (nearly |" long). — Wisconsin and Minnesota, and southwestward. 



5. E. glyptosperma, Engelm. Glabxous (or very rarely puberulent), 

 erect-spreading ; leaves linear-oblong, mostly falcate, very unequal at base, slightly 

 serrulate towards the obtuse apex (2"- 5" long) ; stipules lanceolate, setaceously 

 divided ; peduncles as long as petioles, in dense foliaceous lateral clusters ; glands 

 of the very small involucre with narrow crenulate appendages ; pods sharply 

 angled ; seeds sharply 4-angled and with 5 or 6 sharp transverse wrinkles (£" long). 

 — Wisconsin (Hale, Lapham) to Elinois, opposite St. Louis, where is also the 

 pubescent form (Riehl), and southwestward. 



6. E. maculata, L. Prostrate ; stems puberulent or hairy ; leaves oblong- 

 linear, very oblique at base, serrulate upwards, more or less pubescent or some- 

 times smoothish (4" -6" long), usually with a brown-red spot in the centre; 

 stipules lanceolate, fimbriate ; peduncles as long as petioles, in dense foliaceous 

 lateral clusters ; glands of the small involucre minute, with narrow slightly 

 eremite (usually red) appendages; pods acutely angled, puberulent; seeds ovate 

 (I" long), sharply 4-angled and with about 4 shallow grooves across the con- 

 cave sides. (E. thymifolia, Pursh, not L. E. depre'ssa, Torr.) — Open places, 

 roadsides, &c. : everywhere. 



7. E. humistrata, Engelm. Procumbent, puberulent or hairy; leaves 

 elliptical or obovate, very oblique at base, serrulate towards the apex, sparsely 

 hairy underneath (4' f -9"long, sometimes with a brown spot above) ; stipules 

 lanceolate, fimbriate ; peduncles rather shorter than petioles, in dense scarcely 

 foliaceous lateral clusters ; involucre cle/t on the back, its (red or white) appen- 

 dages truncate or crcnate ; pods sharply angled, puberulent ; seeds ovate, obtusely 

 angled, minutely roughened (J" long). — Rich soil, in the alluvions of the Missis- 

 sippi and lower Ohio and their tributaries ; and also southward. 



8. E. hypericif61ia, L. Smooth or with scattered hairs, ascending or 

 erect (l°-2° high) ; leaves oblique at the obtuse or slightly cordate base, ovate- 

 oblong or oblong-linear, sometimes falcate, serrate (J'--lJ' long), often with a 

 red spot or red margins ; stipules triangular ; peduncles longer than the peti- 

 oles, collected in loose leafy cymes at the end of the branches ; appendages of the 

 involucre entire, larger and white, or smaller and sometimes red ; pod glabrous, 

 obtusely angled; seeds ovate, obtusely angled, wrinkled and tuberclcd (.£" long), 

 blackish. (This character is from the U. S. plant, E. Preslii, Gussone and 

 Boissier, the E. hypcricifolia, var. communis, Engelm. The West Indian origi- 

 nal E. hypcricifolia, L. (found also in Florida) has more compact and usually 

 lateral inflorescence, smaller flowers and small reddish seeds.) — Open places, 

 cultivated soil : very common. 



