EUPHORBIACEM. 



113 



more 



of fiye stamens, monadclphous at the base. The smaller, 

 exterior, are superposed to the petals, and provided with an introrse 

 anther, dehiscing by two longitudinal clefts.' The largest, alternate 

 with the preceding, has long filaments and anthers with extrorse 

 or marginal dehiscence.^ In the female flowers the perianth is 

 generally the same, but the androceum totally disappears, or is only 

 represented by one or two verticils of sterile tongues. The glands 

 of the hypogynous disk are free or united among themselves, and 

 the superior gynseceum is composed of an ovary with three cells, 

 surmounted by a style whose three bifid branches are stigmatiferous 

 above and within. In the inner angle of each cell, the placenta sup- 

 ports a descendent ovule, constructed like that of Ricinus, and 

 surmounted in the same way by a cellular obturator .^ The fruit is 

 a capsule generally tricoccate, opening elastically, and allowing the 

 arillate seeds to escape similar in all respects to those of Ricinus and 

 Euphorhia. 



Jalrcpha [Cnidoscolus) aconitifoUa. 



Fig. 166. Male Flower (f). 



Fig. 167. Long. sect, of male flower. 



In some species oi Jatropha, the number of stamens is increased to 

 twenty or thirty. In others, the male flower alone has a corolla, 

 which is wanting in the female flower. In others, again, of which 

 it has been thought a genus might be made, under the name of 

 Cnidoscolus^^ (figs. 160, 167), the petals disappear in the flowers of 

 both sexes, when the calyx generally becomes petaloid. In J. Cur as 

 (fig. 163-165), and other analogous species, often also distinguished 



' The pollen is " large spherical ; exterior of 

 membrane with large grains without folds : 

 J. pmidmaifulia, J, ureas, Adenorhopium villo- 

 sum." H. MoHL, in.4H«. So. Nat. ser. 2, iii. 337). 



" The summit of the androceum column sup- 

 ports, in a certain number of flowers, a rudi- 

 ment of a gynasceum, sometimes entire, some- 

 times trifid or tripartite, the existence of which 

 has been contested (see Adansonia, xi. 134). 



VOL. V. 



' The nucleus, prolonged beyond the exostome, 

 at anthesis applies its dilated apex flattened or 

 spathulate against the outer midrib of the 

 obturator. 



■• PoHL, PI. Hi-as. i. 56, t. 49-52.— Endl. Gen. 

 n. 5807. — H. Bn. JSuphorbiac. 302, t. 19, flg. 

 3-9.—Bivonea Rafin, Fl. Lwlov. 138 (nee. M09. 

 nee DC). — Jussievia Hocst, Rel. 6, t. lo. 



