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NAT. ORDER, EUPHORBIACE^. 
aiice, which are shaped like those of the second species. It is a 
native of the Canary Islands, and flowers in March and April. 
jEuphorbia officinarum. Officinal Spurge. This species puts out 
many stalks just above the surface, which are thick, succulent, and 
roundish, having eight or ten angles whilst they are young, but as 
they grovr old they loose their angles and become round — the 
branches grow distorted and irregular, first horizontal, but after- 
wards turning upwards ; the angles are armed with small, crooked 
spines, and on the upper part of the branches appear the flowers, 
which is in June and July — they are small, and of a greenish-white 
color. It is a native of Africa. 
Euphorbia caput-meduscB. Medusa's-head Spurge. This species 
has thick, roundish, succulent stalks, which are scaly ; they send 
out many branches from their sides of the same form, which are 
twisted, and run one over another, so as to appear like a nest of ser- 
pents, whence it has the appellation of Medusa's-head. At the end 
of these are narrow, thick, succulent leaves, which drop oflT ; and 
round the upper part of them the flowers appear — these are white, 
and of the same form with those of the other sorts, but larger ; and 
frequently succeeded by fruit. 
There is a variety termed Little Medusa^ s-head, which has a thick, 
short stalky seldom more than ten or twelve inches high, from which 
spring out a great number of slender, trailing branches, about a foot 
in length, intermixing, and having the same appearance with the 
other, but smaller and much shorter ; the ends beset with narrow 
leaves, between which the white flowers come out and appear. It 
is a native of Africa. 
Euphorbia tithymaloides. Myrtle-leaved Spurge. This is a wand- 
like, suberect plant, six feet high, the whole of it abounding in a 
white, bitterish milky juice; the stems numerous, round, smooth, 
weak, very pliant, branched, the size of a man's thumb — the elder 
ones ash-colored, and the younger green ; the leaves, some obtuse, 
others acute, coriaceous, quite entire, petioled, deep green, two or 
