THE SPUKGEWORT FAMILY. 



255 



or watery juice. Leaves opposite, or alternate, entire or 

 palmately lobed ; in succulent species absent or nearly so. 

 The inflorescence and structure of the flowers are various, 

 in some a number being contained in an entire or many 

 sepal-like involucre, or highly coloured bracts, or each 

 flower distinct, with or without a true calyx, sometimes with 

 corolla, monoecious or dioecious. Fruit a 3 or many valved 

 capsule, each cell containing a single seed; rarely fleshy. 

 Various in different genera. 



This extensive family contains not less than 3000 species, 

 all being widely distributed over the earth. In temperate 

 countries they are chiefly herbs ; in Africa, particularly 

 in the south and east, they have succulent stems, often leaf- 

 less, some becoming large hard-wooded trees. Within the 

 tropics they are large leafy trees, and in America assume 

 their grandeur. In this country the family is represented 

 by about 14 species of Euphorbia and Mercuralis, which are 

 annuals and perennials, also by the well-known box tree. 

 With few exceptions an acrid principle pervades the family. 



Cassava {Manihot utilissimd) (bitter) and M. Aipi (sweet), 

 are slender-growing woody-stemmed plants, having lobed or 

 palmate leaves. They are extensively cultivated in tropical 

 America and the West Indies for their large fleshy roots, 

 which are similar to parsnips, and contain a great quantity 

 of farina, which is obtained by maceration and filtering in 

 water, and on being dried is the cassava so much valued as 

 an article of food. Tapioca is the starch which settles from 

 the water used to wash the cassava meal, which is afl;erwards 

 dried and granulated on hot plates. The roots of the bitter 

 cassava in their raw state are highly poisonous, those of the 

 sweet being wholesome. 



An inebriating drink is also made from cassava bread by 

 the Indians, called "piwarrie;" it is made by the women, 

 who chew the cake, which, after being well masticated, is 

 ejected into a vessel, water being then added, and after fer- 

 mentation it is boiled, and when cool is ready for use, the 

 taste being said to resemble ale. However repugnant the 



