158 
The BRITISH HERBAL 
was rather milder than that of later time; but 
they are both much better banifhed than em- 
ployed. 
2, The Euphorbium of the Antients. 
Enpborbium antiquorum. 
The root is thick, white, woody, and very 
long: it penetrates ftrait down into the earths 
and is hung with many fibres. 
From the head of this root rifes a fingle ftem, 
which is triangular ufually ; but this admits va- 
riation, for it is fometimes fquare: it is thick, 
firm, upright, jointed, branched, and twelve 
or fourteen feet high. 
The angles rife high upon it, and are armed 
with double thorns, which are fhort,, but very 
ftrong and fharp. Thefe angles or edges do not 
run ftrait, but are waved or finuated, and the 
whole ftalk is fomewhat flatted: the {pines are 
of a fhining brown, and the plant itfelf of a deep 
green. 
Toward the top it divides into feveral branches» 
and from its fide there rife many others. 
Thefe are large, thick, and triangular, fome- 
what flatted, and of the fame fhape with the 
trunk, and armed in the fame manner with 
prickles. : 
Toward the upper part of the plant there rife, 
at the fame places with the fpines, certain fine, 
fmall rudiments of leaves, if they may be fo 
called; but they never expand, nor are of long 
duration. 
The former kind is abfolutely naked ; but thefe 
are a kind of approach to leaves in this. 
The flower is compofed of four petals, and the 
feed-veffel contains three large feeds. 
It is a native of the Eaft Indies, and flowers 
in Auguft. i 
Linnzus calls it Euphorbia aculeata fubrotunda 
triangularis articulata ramis patentibus. 
3. Five cornered Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium quinguangulare. 
The root is a vaft white body, fending out 
‘from its bottom numerous thick fibres. 
From this rife numerous naked ftems, fome- 
times two or three joined in a body juft above 
the root, and divided afterwards ; and not unfre- 
quently a fingle ftem rifes, from which, after it has 
grown up a foot or more, there burft out feveral 
new, fhoots all round. There is all this variation 
in the plant; nor is it exact any more than the 
preceding fpecies in its number of angles or cor- 
ners, but five is the moft general and natural: 
the main trunk at the bottom fometimes has only 
four, and the youngeft fhoots have fometimes 
more than five, but the body of the plant is 
quinquangular, : 
The main trunk is full of flefhy tubercles, and, 
when it has ftood fome time, grows whitifh, and 
hard. 
The fhoots rife to four or five feet high; and 
* 
are of a bright green, thick, flefhy, and armed 
at all the edges, with black fhining prickles 
rifing in pairs, and pointing downwards ; and 
they are ufually crooked. 
Tt has no leaves, nor often flowers with us, 
It is a native of the Canaries, and there has 
four-leaved flowers, and large feed-vefiels, 
Linnzus calls it Euphorbia aculeata nuda fubquin- 
quangularis aculeis geminatis, 
4. Single, fpined, many-cornered Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium fpinis folitariis multangulare. 
The root is large, thick, white, and divided, 
and towards the bottom fends out many fibres: 
A fingle ftem frequently rifes from the head of 
the root, and nothing more ; fometimes there are 
two or three, but in this cafe they are perfectly 
diftin& ; fo that each is an entire plant. 
This is thick, flefhy, and divided into. a multi- 
tude of faces, by rifing corners or angles, and is 
of a.deep green, ufually fmaller at the bottom, 
and larger to the top; but this not conftantly or 
univerfally. 
The edges are armed with prickles; and thefe 
ftand fingly, not in pairs, as in all the former fpe- 
cies; and they are brown, hard, and gloffy. 
The flowers are numerous, and grow prin- 
cipally toward the upper part of the plant: they 
are compofed each of four petals, and fucceeded 
by a large, round feed-veffels, divided within into 
three cells, in each of which is a fingle feed. 
It is a native of Athiopia, and flowers in 
June. ; 
Burnan calls it Euphorbium aphyllum angulofum 
florum coma denfiffima. 
5. Scaly Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium Jquammatum, 
The root is long, flender, creeping, and di- 
vided into many parts. 4 
From this rifes a large body, of the bignefs 
of achild’s head, and of a woody fubftance : its 
furface is covered with irregular lumps and tu- 
bercles, and its colour is brown. ‘ 
From the head of this fingular lump rife nu- 
merous ftalks: they are thick at the bottom, 
fmaller all the way upward, anda foot high. 
Toward the lower part they are covered with 
fquare tubercles in the manner ofthe lump at 
the bottom, only more diftin&: higher up thefe 
tubercles grow thinner, and lie. over one another 
like fcales: they are longer and narrower as they 
advance more in length, and have at their bafes 
certain fmall and narrow leaves: the tops of all 
the ftalks are terminated alfo by thefe fore of 
leaves, ~ 
It rarely advances farther than this ftate with’ 
us; but where it is perfect the Aowers are com- 
pofed of four petals, ‘and the feed-veffel is roun- 
difh, and divided into four cells. : 
Tt is a native of Ethiopia, and flowers in 
July. 
Commelin calls it Planta lafaria Africana. 
GENUS 
