432 EUPHORBIA CVJE. (SPURGE FAMILY.) 





* *. Seeds minutely roughened, or transversely wrinkled, or pitted, ash-colored, o> (in 

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



4. E. serpyllifolia, Pers. Glabrous, prostrate-spreading ; leaves oborate- 

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

 apex (3" -6'' long, often with a 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-wrinklea and ofter 

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



5. E. glyptosperma, 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, setaceousiy 

 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 4-angled and with 5 or 6 sharp transverse wrinkles (j?" long). 

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

 pubescent form (Riehl), and southwestward. 



6. E. maculata, 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 

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

 cave sides. (E. thymifolia, Pursh, not L. E. depressa, Torr.) — Open places, 

 roadsides, &c. : everywhere. 



7. E. liumistrata, 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 crenate ; 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. hypericifolia, 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 (^'-lf' 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 (^" long), 

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

 Bcissier, the E. hypericifolia, var. communis, Engelm. The West Indian origi- 

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

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

 cultivated soil: very common. 



