174 



EUPHORBIACEiE. 



Euphorbia. 



2. EUPHORBIA, Linn.; Adr. Juss. Euphorb. 57. t. 17./. 61 ; Endl. gen. 5766. 



SPURGE. 



[ Named after Euphorbus, physician to Juba, king of Mauritania, who brought the plant into use.] 



Flowers monoecious, both sterile and fertile included in a 4 - 5-lobed campanulate or turbinate 

 involucre, the lobes of which usually alternate with peltate glands. Sterile fl. several, 

 destitute of calyx and corolla, each consisting of a single stamen, the filament of which is 

 articulated to a pedicel. Fertile fl. solitary, naked or sometimes calyculate, elevated on 

 a long peduncle : styles 3, 2-cleft, or rarely united into one : stigmas 6 (or rarely 3, and 

 2-lobed). Capsule tricoccous ; the carpels one-seeded, opening elastically by two valves. 

 Seeds closely invested with a thin arillus, often carunculate. — Plants with a milky juice, 

 herbaceous (as are all our species) or shrubby, of various habit. Stems often dichotomous. 

 Leaves mostly alternate ; the floral ones often verticillate. Peduncles axillary, or umbellate 

 in the forks of the stem. 



The involucre was regarded by Linnxus as a lobed calyx, containing numerous stamens ; and the glands, or their 

 appendages, as petals. 



* Leaves alternate. 



1. Euphorbia helioscopia, Linn. Wart-wort Spurge. 



Smooth ; stem erect, simple below ; umbel 3 - 5-cleft, the divisions simple or 2 - 3 times 

 forked ; leaves alternate, broadly obovate-cuneate, obtuse, serrulate, the bracteal ones broader; 

 involucres oblong-turbinate, terminal and in the forks of the umbel, nearly sessile ; fruit even ; 

 seeds rugose-reticulate. — Linn. sp. 1. p. 454 ; Bigel. fl. Bost. p. 189. E. obtusata, Pnrsh, 

 fl. 2. p. 607 ; Torr. compend. p. 332 ; Beck, hot. p. 312. 



Annual. Stem 8-15 inches high, umbellately branched at the summit; the divisions 

 often compoundly 2 - 3-forked. Leaves three-fourths of an inch to an inch and a half long, 

 membranaceous, sometimes retuse, entire towards the base, without stipules. Bracts (in- 

 volucre, Linn.) often nearly orbicular. Involucres thin and membranaceous, 4 - 5-lobed ; the 

 lobes short and laciniate. Glands about 4, stipitate, peltate, orbicular, alternating with the 

 lobes of the involucre. Sterile flowers rather numerous. Styles slightly 2-cleft ; the lobes 

 capitate. Capsule green ; the carpels somewhat globose. Seeds ovoid -spherical, brown, 

 dull, strongly reticulated with elevated lines. 



Sandy fields and rocky banks of rivers. New-Paltz, Ulster county (Mr. J. Carey) ; shore 

 of Lake Erie (Dr. Sartwell) ; western part of the State (Dr. Knieskern). July - September. 

 I see no character of sufficient importance to distinguish E. obtusata of Pursh, from the 

 European E. helioscopia. 



