432 EUPHORBiACE^. (spurge family.) 



* * Seeds minutely roughened, or transversely lorinkled, or pitted, ash-colored, or (in 

 the last species) blackish : leaves more or less serrulate, smooth or often hairy. 



4. E. serpyllif61ia, Pers. Glabrous, prostrate-spreading ; leaves obomte- 

 oblong, narrowed at the very oblique base, sharply serrulate towards the obtuse 

 apex (3" - 6" long, often with n red spot) ; stipules lanceolate, fimbriate ; pe- 

 duncles as long or longer than petioles, at length in loose foliaceous lateral clus- 

 ters ; glands of the small involucre with narrow somewhat toothed appendages ; 

 pods sharply angled ; seeds acutely quadrangular, slightly cross-wrinkled and often 

 pitted (nearly |" long). — Wisconsin and Minnesota, and southwestward. 



5. E. glyptosp6rina, Engelm. Glabrous (or very rarely puberulent), 

 erect-spreading ; leaves linear-oblong, mostly falcate, very unequal at base, slightly 

 serrulate towards the obtuse apex ( 2" - 5" long) ; stipules lanceolate, setaceously 

 divided ; peduncles as long as petioles, in dense foliaceous lateral clusters ; glands 

 of the very small involucre with narrow crenulate appendages ; pods sharply 

 angled ; seeds sharply i-angled and with .5 or 6 sharp transverse wrinkles (h" long). 

 — Wisconsin {Hale, Lapham) to Illinois, opposite St. Louis, where is also the 

 pubescent form (Riehl), and southwestward. 



6. E. m^culata, L. Prostrate; stems puberulent or hairy ; leaves oblong- 

 linear, very oblique at base, serrulate upwards, more or less pubescent or some- 

 times smoothish (4" -6" long), usually with a brown-red spot in the centre; 

 stipules lanceolate, fimbriate ; peduncles as long as petioles, in dense foliaceous 

 lateral clusters ; glands of the small involucre minute, with narrow slightly 

 crenate (usually red) appendages; pods acutely angled, puberulent; seeds ovate 

 (I" long), sharply 4-angled and with about 4 shallow grooves across the con- 

 cave sides. (E. thymifolia, Pursh, not L. E. depre'ssa, Torr.) — Open places, 

 roadsides, &c. : everywhere. 



7. E. humistrS-ta, Engelm. Procumbent, puberulent or hairy; leaves 

 elliptical or obovate, very oblique at base, serrulate towards the apex, sparsely 

 hairy underneath (4" -9" long, sometimes with a brown spot above) ; stipules 

 lanceolate, fimbriate ; peduncles rather shorter than petioles, in dense scarcely 

 foliaceous lateral clusters; involucre cleft on the back, its (red or white) appen- 

 dages truncate or crcnatc ; pods sharply angled, puberulent; seeds ovate, obtusely 

 angled, minutely roughened (|" long). — Rich soil, in the alluvions of the Missis- ' 

 sippi and lower Ohio and their tributaries ; and also southward. 



8. E. hypericifblia, L. Smooth or with scattered hairs, ascending or 

 erect (l°-2° high) ; leaves oblique at the obtuse or slightly cordate base, ovate- 

 oblong or oblong-linear, sometimes falcate, serrate (j'- 1^' long), often with a 

 red spot or red margins ; stipules triangular ; peduncles longer than the peti- 

 oles, collected in loose leafy cymes at the end of the branches ; appendages of the 

 involucre entire, larger and white, or smaller and sometimes red ; pod glabrous, 

 obtusely angled ; seeds ovate, obtusely angled, wrinkled and tuberclcd (J" long), 

 blackish. (This character is from the U. S. plant, E. Preslii, Gussone and 

 Boissier, the E. liypericifolia, var. communis, Engelm. The West Indian origi- 

 nal E. hypcricifolia, L. (found also in Florida) has more compact and usually 

 lateral inflorescence, smaller flowers and small reddish seeds.) — Open places, 

 cultivated soil ; very common. 



