158 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
was rather milder than that of later time ; but 
they are both much better banithed than em- 
ployed. 
2. The Euphorbium of the Anticnts. 
Enphorbium anUquorwin, 
The root is thick, white, woody, and very 
long : it penetrates ftrait down into the earth, 
and is hung with many fibres. 
From the head of this root rifes a fingle ftem, 
which is triangular ufually ; but this admits va- 
riation, for it is fometimes fquare : it is thick, 
firm, upright, jointed, branched, and twelve 
or fourteen feet high. 
The angles rife high upon it, and are armed 
with double thorns, which are Hiort, but very 
ftrong and fharp. Thefe angles or edges do not 
run ftrait, but are waved or finuated, and the 
whole ftalk is fomewhat flatted ; the fpines are 
of a fl-iining brown, and the plant itfelf of a deep 
green. 
Toward the top it divides into feveral branches, 
and from its fide there rife many others. 
Thefe are large, thick, and triangular, fome- 
what flatted, and of the fame lhape with the 
trunk, and armed in the fame manner with 
prickles. 
Toward the upper part of the plant there rife, 
at the fame places with the fpines, certain fine, 
fraall rudiments of leaves, if they may be fo 
called; but they never expand, nor are of long 
duration. 
The former kind is abfolutely naked ; but thefe 
are a kind of approach to leaves in this. 
The flower is compofed of four petals, and the 
feed-velfel contains three large feeds. 
It is a native of the Eaft Indies, and flowers 
in Augufl:. 
LinniEus calls it Euphorbia amieata fuhntunda 
triangulnris articulata ramis palenlibus. 
3. Five cornered Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium quinquanguh.re. 
The root is a vaft white body, fendint^ out 
from its bottom numerous thick fibres. 
From this rife numerous naked ftems, fome- 
times two or three joined in a body juft above 
the root, and divided afterwards ; and not unfre- 
quently a fingle fl:em rifes, from which, after it has 
grown up a foot or more, there burfl: out feveral 
new (hoots all round. There is all this variation 
in the plant ; nor is it exaS any more than the 
preceding fpecies in its number of angles or cor- 
ners, but five is the mofl: general and natural : 
the main trunk at the bottom fometimes has only 
four, and the youngefi: Ihoots have fometimes 
more than five, but the body of the plant is 
quinquangular. 
The main trunk is full of flefhy tubercles, and 
•when it has flood fome time, grows whitifh and 
hard. 
The (hoots rife to four or five feet hi-^h ; and 
are of a bright green, thick, .flefhy, and armed 
at all the edges, with black fliining prickles 
rifing in pairs, and pointing downwards ; and 
they are ufually crooked. 
It has no leaves, nor often flowers with us. 
It is a native of the Canaries, and there has 
four-leaved flowers, and large feed-vefTcls. 
Linnicus calls itEuphorbia amieata nudajuhquin- 
quatigularis acukis geminatis. 
4- Smgle, fpined, many-cornered Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium fpiuis folilariis multangular e. 
The root is large, thick, white, and divided, 
and towards the bottom fends out many fibres. 
A fingle ftem frequently rifes from the head of 
the root, and nothing more ; fometimes there are 
two or three, but in this cafe tliey are perfcflly 
diftinft ; fo that each is an entire plant. 
This is thick, flefhy, and divided into a multi- 
tude of faces, by rifing corners or angles, and is 
of a deep green, ufually fmaller at the bottom, 
and larger to the top ; but this not conftantly or 
univerfaily. 
The edges are armed with prickles ; and thefe 
ftand fingly, not in pairs, as in all the former fpe- 
cies ; and they are brown, hard, and glofiy. 
The flowers are numerous, and grow prin- 
cipally toward the upper part of the plant : they 
are compofed each of four petals, and fucceeded 
by a large, round feed-veflils, divided within into 
three cells, in each of which is a fingle feed. 
It is a native of .Ethiopia, and flowers in 
June. 
Burnan calls it Euphorbium aphyllum angulofum 
florum coma denfiffima, 
5. Scaly Euphorbium. 
Euphorbium fquammatum. 
^ The root is long, flender, creeping, and di- 
vided into many parts. 
From this rifcs a large body, of the bigncfs 
of a child's head, and of a woody lubftan:e : its 
furface is covered with irregular lumps and tu- 
bercles, and its colour is brown. 
From the head of this fingular lump rife nu- 
merous ftalks : they are thick at the bottom, 
fmaller all the way upward, and a foot hinh. 
Toward the lower part they are covered whh 
fquare tubercles in the manner of the lump at 
the bottom, only more diftincft : higher up thefe 
tubercles grow thinner, and lie over one another 
like fcalcs : they are longer and narrower as they 
advance more in length, and have at their bafes 
certain frhall and narrow leaves : the tops of all 
the ftalks are terminated alfo by thefe fort of 
leaves. 
It rarely advances farther than this ftate with 
us ; but where it is perfeft the flowers are com- 
pofed of four petals, and the feed-veflel is roun- 
dilli, and divided into four cells. 
It is a native of ^Ethiopia, and flowers in 
July- 
Commelin calls it Vlanla laSlaria Africana. 
GENUS 
