

Euphorbia Peplus. Small garden Spurge 



EUPHORBIA Linnai Gen. PL Dodecandria Trigynia. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 22. Herbje vasculiferje flore tetrapetalo anomalje. 

 EUPHORBIA (Peplus) umbella trifida, dichotoma, involucellis ovatis, foliis integerrimis obovatis petiolatis» 



Linn. Syjl. Vegetab. p- 3JS' ^l. Suecic. p. 163. 

 TITHYMALUS foliis rotundis, ftipulis floralibus cordatis, obtufis, petalis argute eorniculatis. Hatter, htfl. 



vol. 2. p. 9. n. 1049. 

 PEPLUS five Efula rotunda. Bauhln pin. 292. Parlunfon. Gerard, emac. 503. 

 TITHYMALUS parvus annuus, foliis fubrotundis non crenatis, Peplus di&us. 

 Petty Spurge. Hudfon PL Atigl. p. 1 82. 



Kali Syn. p. 313. n. 9; 



RADIX annua, lignofa, fimplex, nbrofa, albida. | 



CAULIS, iuberettus, docirantalis, teres, glaber, ramo- f 



fu&, bail durior, tenuior, fubruber, foliofus, £ 



- laclifluus. I 



% 

 RAMI pauci, fparfi, inferioribus longioribus oppofitis. i 



UMBELLA trifida, dichotoma. I 



FOLIA obovata, petiolata, integerrima, fparfa, obtufius- * 



cula, inferioribus fubrotundis. | 



f 



* 



STIPUL^E umbella fres, ovato-aeutas, petrolis brevibus I 



miidentes, umbellula alterne oppoiitee, feffiles, % 



cordato-ovatae, inaequales, mtegerfknae, bail | 



qua tendit gcrmen quafi excavatae.. | 



CALYX ventricofus, perfiftens. Jig., k | 



COROLLA nulla. ? 



NECTAR I A quatuor blcornlculata, fig. 2. f 



STAMINA plerumque duo, aut tria, vifibilia, exfertat t 



Anthers didymae,. fubrotundae, fig. 3;. f 



* 



PISTILLUMr Germex pedunculatum, nutans, tri- t 



angulare, anguiis longitudiiraliter fulcatis, jig. | 



4, 6 : Stigmata tria, apice bifida, fig. 5. f 



PERICARPIUM : Capsula trlcocca, triiocularls, tri- I 

 valvis, valvulis Isevibus, et dum adhuc virides % 

 diffilientibus, jig. 6. t 



SEMEN unicum in fingulo loculamento, ovatum, ea- I 

 num, alveolatum, appendiculatum, fig. j. t 



N. B. Omnes partes fruclificatioms Iente augentur. | 



MANY of the Spurges confiderably refemble one another, and two of them that have this affinity, grow fre- 

 quently together in Gardens, viz. the prefent Spurge, Euphorbia Peplus, and the Sun Spurge, Euphorbia Hello fcopia ; 

 they may be difhngmihcd however by the flighteft attention. In the Hello fcopia the leaves are notched or ferrated zt 

 the edges, m the Peplus they are entire, in the Hellofcofia the Petals or rather Nectaria are round and entire, in the 

 Peplus^ each >s 1 urramed with two little horns, fig. 2 ; there are other marks of diftinction but thefe are the moil ftriking. 



This fpecies grows in Gardens aiid other cultivated ground, and flowers in Autumn. 



The milky fluid which it abounds with, is by fome applied to Warts, which it is faid todeftroy. 



Moil if not all the plants of this Genus contain in them this milky and gummy fubftance, which to the tafte is ex- 

 ceedingly acrid ; and this lactifiuous property, joined to the peculiarity of its parts of fructification, point out almoft 

 at firft fight tnis natural family of plants. But the botanic Student who would inveftigate this fpecies according 

 to the principles of the Lrnnasan Syftem, not having thefe characteristics to affift him, finds a confiderable difficult? 

 In learning even the C/afs to which it belongs, nor is it poffible for him to afcertain the Clafs by an examination of 

 this or icarce any other Englifh Spurge : the Stamina in the firft place are very minute, it is feldom that more thai?, 

 two or three protrude beyond the Calyx, all the reft lye concealed within it, they feldom amount to twelve in number, 

 and even if they did amount to that exact number, their minutenefis and the milky juice which flows from the difTec- 

 tion, render the enumeration of them fcarce practicable. The Student may however in a great degree furmount this 

 difficulty, by an examination of fome plant of this genus, which is larger in every refpeft, and the Euphorbia Lathyris 

 improperly called the Caper Tree, ( which is cultivated in many Gardens) will afford him a very good example, and 

 tend to give him a clear idea of the flower and fruit of this Angular genus of plants. 



^ I would not be thought on account of this difficulty to inveigh °againft Linn^eus's- Syftem, being fenfible that 

 difficulties occur, and muft occur in all botanic arrangements, and inftead of felecling faults infeparable from every 

 mode of clafhfication, (which fceins to have been a favourite amufement of fome Authors, and forms indeed the 

 greateft part of their writings) I would ufe every endeavour to make it more perfect. 



It is too much the fafhion how, as well as formerly, for every Botanift as foon as he thinks he has fome pretenfions to 

 eminence, to fet about the arduous talk of framing a new Syftem ; he may by this means give the public fome idea 

 of his felf-confequence, and be inrollcd in the Catalogue of Syftem-makers, but not one jot will he advance the 

 fcienceof Botany. It is to be regretted that Botanifts will not be contented with a Syftem, a proof of whofe fupe- 

 nority is the almoft general reception it has met with throughout Europe, and unite in their endeavours to render 

 that Syftem more cornpleat, by giving us an accurate account of the hiftory of thofe plants not already given, their 

 virtues and ufes ; this appears to me to be the true method of advancing this delightful Science, and makino- it ufe- 

 full to Mankind. & 



When one Syftem of Botany is generally followed as is nearly the cafe at prefent, Botanifts in different kingdoms 

 perfectly underftand each others language, but when each adopts a feperate one, (which is frequently dictated by 

 Pride or Caprice) all becomes Babel ; and every one who wifhes to acquire a knowledge of the plants treated of, 

 muft at confiderable expence both of time and labour, acquire firft the Authors new-created Syftem-laiiguage, a tax 

 which it is hoped every true Botanift will unite to oppofe. 



PvOOT annual, woody, fimple, fibrous and whitifh. 



STALK generally upright, about nine inches high, 

 round, fmooth, and branched ; at bottom har- 

 der, more flender, and of a reddiih colour, leafy 

 and milky. 



BRANCHES few, not growing in any regular order,, 

 the lower ones longeft and oppofite. 



UMBEL firft trifid» then dichotomou&. 



LEAVES fomewhat oval, but narrower!: towards the 

 bafe, having foot-ftalks, entire at the edges, 

 placed in no regular order, fomewhat blunt, 

 the lowermoft leaves almoft round. 



STIPULtE of the large umbel three in number, oval and 

 pointed, placed on very fhort foot-ftalks ; of the 

 jmall umbel alternately oppofite, feftile, of an 

 heart-fhaped-oval form, unequal, and entire, 

 at bottom on that fide to which the Germen 

 tends as if cut away. 



CALYX bellying out and continuing, jig. 1. 



COPvOLLA wanting. 



NECTARIES four, each having two Utile horns, jig.21 



STAMINA feldom more than two or three, which are 

 vifible, and placed without the Calyx r Anthe- 

 rs two on each filament joined together, of a 

 roundifh figure, fig. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen placed on a foot-ftalk, hang- 

 ing down, triangular, the angles longitudinally 

 grooved,^. 4, 6: Stigmata three,, bifid at 



t0 P> fig- 5- 



SEED-VESSEL: a Capsule of three cavities, and' 

 three valves, the valves protuberant, fmooth, 

 and fplitting with a kind of elafticity even while 

 they are of a green colour, fig. 6. 



SEED one in each cavity, oval, grey, with numerous de- 

 prejfwns on its jur face, and a little white button 

 at one end, fig. 7. 



N. B. AM the parts of fructification are magnified. 



