2*24 
EUPHORBIA OFFICINARUM. 
Officinal Euphorhiurn or Spurge * 
Class DODECANDRIA.— OrfZer Trigynia. 
Nat. Ord. Tricocc^, Linn. Euphorbia, Juss. 
Gen. Char. Corolla four or five petalled, fixed to the calyx. 
Calyx one-leaved, ventiicose. Capsule tricoccous. 
Spec. Char. Aculeate, naked, many angled, prickles in 
pairs, spreading, equal. 
This species of Euphorbia is a perennial, shrubby, and very suc- 
culent plant. It is a native of Africa, where it grows in great abun- 
dance. This plant is the AevSpov £uC))op/3/ov of Dioscorides, and 
derived its name from Euphorbius, physician to Juba, King of 
Lybia, who named it, in honour of his physician. The genus Eu- 
phorbia comprises a very numerous family of singular plants, up- 
wards of one hundred and twenty f species of which are cultivated 
in our botanic gardens. The Euphorbia Officinarura was first cul- 
tivated in this country about the year 1597. 
The stem of this plant rises "to about five feet in height, is simple 
or branched towards the top, erect, round and angled or furrowed, 
with eight or more longitudinal fissures ; the branches are destitute 
of leaves, and go off" first horizontally and then ascend; are more 
distinctly angled than the stem, scolloped and furnished with 
prickles, which are everywhere double; the flowers are sessile, on 
the extremities of the branches at each pair of spines, of a crim- 
son or yellowish colour ; the calyx is monophyllus, bell-shaped, per- 
sistent, and cut into five marginal teeth : the petals are four, turbi- 
nated, gibbous, thick, truncated, and attached by claws to the mar- 
* Fig. a. the corolla magnified, h. The g€rmen and stjles, magnified, c An 
anther, magnified. <f. The calyx, magnified. 
+ Twelve of which are natives oi Britain. 
