1434 CXVII. EUPHORBIACE^. [Jatropha. 



■oblong, testa crustaceous, albumen fleshy; cotyledons broad, flat. — Herbs, 

 :shrubs or trees, often glandular and prickly. Leaves alternate, entire or digitate^ 

 lobed or partite ; stipules oftea ciliate. 



Species chiefly American. 



Leaves palmately cut into many narrow lobes 1. J. multifida. 



Leaves orbicular-cordate, entire or 3 to 5-lobed or angled 2. J. Curcas. 



1. J. multifida (leaves much cut), T,inn. ; Hook, in Ft. Brit. Ind. v. 383. 

 A large shrub or small tree, glabrous. Leaves 3 to Sin. in diameter, orbicular in 

 •<iutline, palmately cut into many narrow entire or lobulate cordate-acuminate 

 ^segments, glaucous beneath ; petiole as long as the blade ; stipules capillary 

 multifid eglandular ; bracts and entire sepals glabrous. Cymes on long 

 peduncles ; flowers scarlet ; anthers linear. Disk of female flowers urceolate. 



Hab.: Native of South America. Met with as a stray from cultivation near townships. 



2. J. Curcas (old generic name), Liw«.; Hook in Fl. Brit. Ind. v. 383. Physic 

 or Purging Nut. A large shrub or small tree, glabrous except the young shoots. 

 Leaves orbicular-cordate, 4 to Bin. diameter, entire or 3 to 6-lobed or angled, 

 lobes obtuse or acute, quite entire ; petioles long as the blade. Cymes or 

 panicles terminal, glabrous or pubescent. Flowers yellow ; corolla-tube of male 

 villose within. Males at the end of the ramifications, females at the divisions. 

 Ovary and styles glabrous. Capsule 1 to l^in. long and nearly as broad. Seeds 

 nearly black. 



Hab.: Native of the Coromandel Coast. Met with as a stray from cultivation. 



26. ALEURITES, Forst. 



(Referring to the mealy substance with which the plant is covered). 



Flowers moncecious, in a terminal panicle. Male flower : Calyx entire and 

 ■closed in the bud, splitting into 3 or rarely 2 segments. Petals S, contorted 

 in the bud. Disk with 6 or 10 slightly prominent lobes or glands. Stamens 

 indefinite, on a central receptacle or disk without any rudimentary ovary ; 

 anthers erect in the bud, the cells parallel and adnate to a connective continuous 

 with the filament, opening longitudinally in 2 valves. Female flower : Calyx and 

 petals of the males. Disk of 5 minute glands. Ovary. 2 to 5-celled, with 1 

 •ovule in each cell. Styles 2 to 5, deeply divided into 2 branches. Fruit large, 

 ■somewhat fleshy, the endocarp hard, tardily separating into cocci. Seeds nearly 

 :globular, with a distinct outer somewhat cartilaginous coating, the inner coating 

 •bony ; albumen oleaginous ; cotyledons broad, flat, with a short narrow radicle. 

 — Trees with a stellate tomentum. Leaves alternate, petiolate, large, entire or 

 lobed. Flowers in terminal panicles, the females usually few, terminating the 

 Tnain branches. 



A genus of few species, natives of tropical Asia and the Pacific islands. The only Australian 

 tspeoies is also widely spread over the Archipelago. 



1. A. moluccana (of. Molucca), Willd. ; Muell. Arg. in DC. Prod. xv. 

 ii. 723 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. vi. 128. Candle Nut. " Tar-kal," Cooktown, Roth. 

 " Nappalla," Barron River, J. F. Bailey. A tree attaining sometimes a con- 

 siderable size, the young foliage densely ferruginous-tomentose, becoming nearly 

 -glabrous when full-grown. Leaves crowded at the ends of the branches 

 immediately under the panicle, broadly ovate-rhomboidal or ovate-lanceolate, 

 obtuse or acuminate, rarely narrow-lanceolate, entire undulate-crenate or 8, 5 

 or 7-lobed, sometimes nearly 1ft. long and broad but in herbaria usually 4 to 

 <3in., 3, 5 or 7-nerved, the primary veins pinnate with transverse secondary veins 

 -as in C'roton arnhemicus. Flowers numerous, in broad terminal much-branched 

 panicles, the pedicels short. Calyx tomentose, opening usually in 3 segments, 



