BOTANY. 99 
Monecia. ‘The flowers in Euphorbiaceze vary much in the number of their 
parts. Sometimes the general peduncle or rachis becomes flattened and leaf- 
like. The inflorescence is occasionally amentaceous, as in the division Sce- 
paces, which is separated, as a distinct but not fully defined order, by Lind- 
ley. The plants of the order abound in warm regions, especially in Equinoc- 
tial America, where they occur as trees or bushes, or lactescent herbs, and 
often present the appearance of Cactuses, from which their milky juice at 
once distinguishes them. They are also found in North America and in Eu- 
rope. ‘There are about 192 genera arranged in six sub-orders, and over 2500 
species. 
Tribe 1. Huphorbiew, true Euphorbias. Cells one-seeded. Flowers of 
the two sexes united in a common involucre, resembling a single flower, naked, 
a single female with many males. Examples: Baphorbia, &e. 
Tribe 2. Stillingiew. Cells one-seeded. Flowers naked or apetalous in 
_amentaceous spikes: one or many in the axil of an often biglandular bract ; 
the males two- to ten-androus. Examples: Stillingia, Styloceras, Hura, Hip- 
pomane, &c. 
Tribe 3. Acalyphee. Cells one-seeded. Flowers apetalous, calyx valvu- 
lar in the bud, arranged. in clusters along a spike, more rarely in racemes. 
Examples: Acalypha, Tragia, &e. 
Tribe 4. Crotonee. Cells one-seeded. Flowers apetalous, calyx valvular, 
or imbricated in the bud, disposed in fascicles, spikes, racemes, or panicles. 
Examples : Crotonopsis, Siphonia, Croton, &c. 
Tribe 5. Phyllanthee. Cells two-seeded. Flowers most generally 
apetalous, with the calyx imbricated in the bud, solitary or combined in 
clusters or axillary fascicles. Stamens two to five, rarely more, inserted 
on the torus in the centre of the flower, free or united. Examples: Phyl- 
lanthus, &e. 
Tribe 6. Buxew. Cells two-seeded. Flowers usually apetalous, with the 
calyx imbricated in the bud, arranged in clusters or axillary fascicles, more 
rarely in racemes or spikes. Stamens four to six, inserted around a central 
rudimentary pistil. Examples: Buxus, Savia, &e. 
The plants of the order Euphorbiacez are acrid and poisonous, this 
property residing chiefly-in their milky juices. That of-some species of 
Euphorbia is collected for medicinal purposes. Valuable oils are also 
obtained from this order. Thus castor oil is expressed from the seeds of 
Ricinus communis, a plant which, herbaceous in temperate climates, is a 
tree in its native locality, India. The seeds of Croton tiglium furnish 
Croton oil. The fatty matter obtained from the seeds of Stillingia sebifera, 
the Chinese Tallow Tree, is used in making candles. Cascarilla is the bark 
of Croton eleutheria and other species. The boxwood in such request by 
wood engravers is obtained from Buxus sempervirens. The Cassava, or 
Manioc flour, is a starchy matter (Tapioca), obtained by grinding up the 
root of Manihot utilissima, and washing this well with water. The juice is 
highly poisonous, although the washed pulp is both harmless and palatable. 
The juice of Siphonia elastica contains much caoutchouc, and furnishes 
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