70 



POPULAR GARDEN BOTANY. 



This genus is said to be named after Euphorbus, the phy- 

 sician, who first found out the medicinal qualities ; they are 

 very singular -looking plants, some of them assuming very 

 grotesque shapes, the stems being cylindrical, or like co- 

 lumns, angular, or covered with tubercles, and without 

 leaves ; of these forms officinarum, Canariensis, Jieptagona, 

 enneagona, cereiformis, meloformis, mammittaris, polygona, 

 stellcespina, etc., are all introduced into the greenhouse ; be- 

 sides these there are the great Medusa's Head, E. Caput-Me- 

 dusce 3 and several others somewhat similar, as hupleurifolia, 

 iessellata, prociimbens, friictus-spini ; most of these species 

 have the flowers yellowish or green, in groups of from one 

 to three together ; those with regular leaves have the flowers 

 axillary, or in terminal umbels, and the colours are various, 

 as green, yellow, crimson, etc. K atropurpttrea has deep 

 blood-coloured bracts and floral leaves, and the rest of the 

 foliage is of a glaucous green. The best soil for these suc- 

 culent plants is sandy loam and lime-rubbish ; they strike 

 readily by the pots being put into a good heat. 



CLUYTIA. 



Gen. Char. (Dicecia Gynandria.) Barren flower — calyx five- 



