132 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



panied by a flesliy aril, and an abundant oily albumen surrounding 

 an embryo with cylindrical-conical radicle, and large foliaceous 

 cotyledons. 



There are some species of Croton diflPering from those we have 

 just described by a slight inequalty of their pieces of the calyx, 

 and by the extremely variable number of those forming the andro- 

 ceum. This may be isostemonous ; but it more 

 Crotm peuiciUatum. frequently presents four or a greater number of 

 verticils (fig. 203), whose pieces are alternately 

 superposed to those of the calyx and the corolla, 

 the interior verticil being complete or incom- 

 plete ; or the number of stamens may increase 

 in each verticil. This genus contains some 

 Kg. 203. Male flower (?). fo^jj, hundred and fifty species \ arborescent, 

 frutescent, or herbaceous, rarely annual. The 

 leaves are almost always alternate, with or without stipules, the 

 latter being often glanduliform. The limb, penninerved or 3-5-pli- 

 nerved, often entire, is sometimes dentate or lobed. It is rarely 

 glabrous, much oftener covered with simple, stellate, peltate, or scaly 

 hairs ; here and there it bears glands whose situation is extremely 

 variable.^ 



The flowers are in terminal or axillary, simple or ramified racemes 

 or spikes, composed of cymes or glomerules. When they are monoe- 

 cious, the females, generally few in number, occupy the axils of the 

 inferior bracts of the inflorescence. 



Beside Croton are placed three American genera, with the same 

 general organisation of the androceum, but easily distinguished : 

 Julocroton^ by its resupinate flower, with two unequal sepals behind, 

 and another (generally the most developed) in front ; Crotonopsis, by 

 its ovary reduced to one uniovulate cell, and the small fruit remain- 

 ing dry and indehiscent ; and Eremocm'pus, by its dry one-celled fruit 

 dehisciag in two valves, while the calyx disappears in the female 

 flowers, and the corolla in those of both sexes. 



' M. Ako. Frodr. loc. cit. 614-700,1273; in Bory organs, and are scattered over the surfaces ; 



Flora. (1872), 4. — H. Bn. in Admsonia, i. 67, they correspond besides to the extremities of 



146, 170', 232, 346 ; ii. 217 ; iii. 164 ; iv. 289 ; the dilated nerves, or they are the lobes of the 



yi. 16, 300. leaves, or stipules transformed. , {See H. Bn. 



2 They often represent hairs or other acces- Euphorbiae. 230). 



