176 THE TASMANIAN FLORA. 



Shrubs or under-shrubs. 



Leafless or nearly so. Stems angled ... ... 8. Amperea. 



Leaves linear or nearly so. 



Leaves in clusters of 3 ... ... ... ... 3. Micrantheum,. 



Leaves solitary, with closely-revolute margins. 



Petals ^ inch long, white ... ... ... 6. liicinocarpus. 



Petals none ... ... ... ... ... 7. Bertya. 



Leaves oblong, 1-3 inches long. Stamens numerous 5. Beyeria. 

 Leaves oblong, under 2 lines. Stamens 6... ... 4. Pseudanthus. 



Leaves oblong to nearly orbicular, 2 lines to f inch 



long. Stamens 3 9. Phyllanthus. 



1. EUPHORBIA. 



Flowers very obscure, and reduced to a simple organ only, but many flowers 

 clustered within an involucre, together forming a flower-like head. Staminate 

 flowers about 10, each consisting of a single stamen without any perianth. 

 Pistillate flower solitary in the head, consisting of a 3-celled ovary on a lone' 

 flaccid stalk. 



The genus is large, and has as wide a distribution as the order. 



Flower-heads axillary I. E. drummondii. 



Flower-heads in terminal umbels. 



Leaves dentated. Involucral glands round ... 2. E. helioscopia.'\[ 



Leaves entire. Involucral glands crescented 3. E. peplm, 



1. E. DRDMMONDil, Bolss. A prostrate spreading herb, with a perennial 

 rootstook. Leaves opposite, with interpetiolar stipules, broadly oblong-obliqne, 

 entire, or serrated, 2-4 lines long. Flower-heads very small, shortly stalked in 

 the upper axils. Involucre about | line long, bearing entire or fringed glands. 

 Swanport ; also throughout Australia. Fl. spring and summer. 



2, E. HELIOSCOPIA, lAnn. A robust erect annual, sparely branched, 

 except the inflorescence. Leaves alternate, obovate, serrated, i-| inch 

 long. Inflorescence a compound umbel, the primary rays 5, and 

 subtended by 5 large leaf-like bracts. Involucre bearing 4 or 5 entire 

 round glands on the margin. 



An introduced European weed; widely dispersed with cultivation. 

 Fl. nearly all the year. 



3. E. PEPLUS, Linn. A similar plant to the last, but of less robust habit. 

 Leaves entire. Rays and bracts 3 or irregular. Involucral glands 

 crescent-shaped. 



Introduced and dispersed with the last. Fl. nearly all the year. 



2. PORANTHERA. 



Calyx petaloid, deeply 5-lobed. Petals usually present but small. Stamens 5, 

 opposite the calyx-segments. Anthers more or less 4-celled, each cell opening in 

 a terminal pore. Ovary very rudimentary in the staminate flowers; broad, 

 depressed-globular, 6-lobed, 3-celled, in the pistillate ones. Styles 3, each deeply 

 bifid. Fruit capsular. 



A purely Australian genus, of few species ; all herbs. 



P. MiCBOPHYLLA, Brou. A Small, prostrate', spreading annual. Leaves obovate 

 to linear, obtuse and tapering into a stalk, alternate, mostly J--^ inch long. 

 Flowers white, about 1 line diameter, in small corymbs, both pistillate and 

 staminate on the same plant. 



Very common, principally in dry poor land. It occurs throughout Australia. 

 Fl. spring and summer. 



