166 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



and its stem makes one of the false white American Ipecacuanhas. 

 Nearly all our European species of Euphorbia are vomitive and pur» 

 gative hydragogues, and cannot be handled without care, particularly 

 E. Cyparissias,^ Emlay Gerardiana^ Helioscopa,^ Peplus^ Pithy- 

 usa,^ etc.''' They owe their powerful properties sometimes to the 

 latex they contain, which becomes so abundant in the cactiform 

 species of warm countries, often cultivated in our hothouses, such as 

 E. neriifolia^ canariensis^ antiquorum^^ grandidens^^ virosa^'^ 

 abyssinica^^ Caput-Medusm^'^ meloformis^'° globosa^^ triaculeata,^'' 

 candelabrum}^, and officinarum}^ The production of the gum resin 

 of Euphorbia was for a long time attributed to the latter species, this 

 substance is yielded by the E. resinifera ^^ of Morocco, and consists 

 of a dry, yellowish, friable, acrid, sternutatory juice, nearly as vesi- 

 cative as cantharides, and whose employment as a purgative is gene- 

 rally abandoned as too dangerous. The number of Euphorbiacece 

 with irritant, poisonous latex, is considerable,^^ and this latex gene- 

 rally flows in abundance from incisions made in the trunk or branches. 

 The most celebrated are : the Manchineel,^^ particularly common in 



(tetit 



637. 



1 L. Spec. 661.— Brass. FroAr. u. 636. 

 Oypris, Ehubarhe des pamires.) 



^ L. Spec. 660. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 

 {Gh-ande-6sule Ihnirunoh€e.) 



3 jAca. M. Austr. V. 17, t. 436. — Boiss. 

 Frodr. n. 668. — (-B. de 04rard.) 



* L. Spec. 668. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 639. {Siveil- 

 matin, Omblette, Zait de couleuvre, etc.) 



° L. Spec. 658. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 655. — K 

 peploides Gkiseb. {Petit Reveil-matin.) 



' L. Spec. 656. — Boiss. Prodr. a. 587. — 

 Geen. et GoBK. Fl. de Fr. iii. 86 {d, feuillea de 

 Oenevrier), — S. mucronata Lap, 



? SeeKosENTH. op. cit. 81 0-818. 



8 L. MoH. Cliff. 196 (part.).— DC. PI. Gr. ii. 

 t. 46. — Boiss. Frodr. n. 292. — Ligularia... 

 RuMPH. Serh. Ami. x. t, 40. 



s L. Spec. 646.— Boiss. Frodr. n. 314. 



10 L. Sort. Cliff. 196.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 302.— 

 Schadidacalli Eheed. 



" Haw. in Phil. Mag. (1825), 33.— Boiss. 

 Prodr. n. 310. — E. arhorescens hort. 



12 W. Spec. 832. — Boiss. Prodr. 315. 



13 EcEusoH. Norn. Bot.—'hoiss. Prodr. u. 318. 

 [Kolquall. from Abyss, ex Bkucb.) 



" L. Sort. Cliff, ii. 135. — Lodd. Bot. Cab. t. 

 1315.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 326. 



15 All. Sort. Kew. ii. 135. — ^Boiss. Prodr. n. 

 332.— Andk. Bot. Rep. t. 617. 



" Sims, in Bot. Mag. t. 2624. — Boiss. Prodr. 



n. 330. — Daetylanthes globoaa Haw. 



1' FoKSK. Fl. ^g.-Arah. 94. — Vahl, i 

 53.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 322. 



i'Teemx, ex Kl. Allgem. Ueb. d. NiU, 13. — 

 Boiss. Prodr. n. 319. 



IS L. Spec. 647.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 320. 



2" Berg et Schm. Sarst. off. Gew. iv. t. 34 d. 

 — Coss. sur V Euphorbia resinifera, in Bull, Soe, 

 Roy. Bot. Belg. x. 5. 



21 Above all are mentioned Euphorbia palus- 

 tris, pilosa, and Chamanyce in Europe, and in 

 America E. laurifolia and buxifolia, whicli are 

 powerful purgatives ; in tlie East E. aleppiea. 

 Deslongchamps has praised E. Gerardiana 

 (note 3) as a vomitive. Among the cactiform 

 species E. neriifolia and canariensis are men- 

 tioned as powerful deohstruents. AU lacteous 

 species of Euphorbia have without doubt the 

 same properties. Their action is due to a vola- 

 tile priaciple, for warmth renders them inof- 

 fensive. Thus E. balsamifera, a violent purga- 

 tive, becomes when cooked, a tasteless aliment. 

 Camels eat E. Tirucalle cooked, which, when 

 raw, is a powerful poison. The species of 

 Pedilanthus particularly P. tithymaloides, padi- 

 folius, angustifolius and Codiesum, axe also very 

 active evacuants. 



22 Sippomane Mancinella L. Spec. 1431. — 

 jAca. Amer. 260, t. 159— Sw. Obs. 369.— Tukp. 

 in Pict. Mitt. Nat. Atl. t. 278.— A. Eich. Cuba, 



