Euphorbia Peplus. Small garden Spurge. 
EUPHORBIA Llmuei Gen. PL Dodecandria Trigynia. 
Rat; Syn. Gen. 22. Herb* vascolifer* eeore tetrapetalo anomal*. 
EUPHORBIA ( Peplus ) umbella trifida, dichotoma, involucellis ovatis, foliis integerrimis obovatis pe 
TITHYMALUs'”fol^^Sndit fibulis' flmtutascmdatisfobtufis, petalis argute corniculatis. Haller. hijt. 
vol. 2. p. 9. n. 1049. , 
PEPLUS five Elula rotunda. Bauhin pin. 292. Parhnfon. Gerard, emac. 503. 
TITHYMALUS parvus annuus, foliis fubrotundis non crenatis. Peplus diCtus. Ran Syn. p. 313. n. 9. 
Petty Spurge. Hudfon FI. Angi. p. 182. 
RADIX annua, lignofa-, fimplex, fibrola, albida.. 
CAULIS, fu be rectus, dodrantalis, teres, glaber, rarno- 
fus, ball durior, tenuior, fu br uber, foliolus, 
lactifluus» 
RAMI pauei, fparfi, inferioribus longioribus oppofitis. 
UMBELLA trifida, 'dichotoma. 
FOLIA obovata, petiolata, integerrima, fparfa, obtufius- 
cula-, inferioribus fubrotundis. 
STIPULAE umbella tres, ovato-aeuCze, petiolis brevibus 
infidentes, umbel lui a alterne oppofitae, fefliles, 
eordato-ovata;, inasquales, integferrimas, baii 
qua tendit germen quad excavatae- 
CALYX ventricofus, perfidens. fg. 1- 
C OR OLLA nulla. 
NECTARIA quatuor bicorniculata , fg. z. 
STAMINA plerumque duo, aut tria, vifibilia, exferta : 
Anther.® didymae, fubrotundae, fg. g. 
PISTILLUM: Germen pedunculatum, nutans, tri- 
angulare, angulis longitudinaliter fulcatis, fg. 
4, 6: Stigmata tria, apice bifida, fg. 5. 
PERICARPIUM : Capsula tricocca, trilocularis, tii- 
valvis, valvulis lsevibus, et dum adhuc virides- 
diffidentibus,,^. 6. 
SEMEN unicum in fingulo loculamento, ovatum, ca- 
num, alveolatum, appendiculatum, fig^. 7. 
N. B. Omnes partes Ludificationis lente augentur. -■ 
ROOT annual, woody, Ample, fibrous and whitiffi. 
STALK generally upright, about nine inches high, 
round, fmooth, and branched ; at bottom har- 
der, more Lender, and of a reddilh colour, leafy 
and milky. 
BRANCHES few, not growing in any regular order, 
the lower ones longed: and oppofite. 
UMBEL fird trifid, then dichotomous. 
LEAVES fomewhat oval, but narrowed: towards the 
bafe, having foot-ftalks, entire at the edges, 
placed in no regular order, fomewhat blunt, 
the lowermod leaves almod round. 
STIPULAE of the large umbel three in number, oval and' 
pointed, placed on very fhort foot-dalks : of the 
fmall umbel alternately oppofite, feffile, of an 
heart-fhaped-oval form, unequal, and entire, 
at bottom on that fide to which the Germen 
tends as if cut away. 
CALYX bellying out and continuing, fig. 1. 
COROLLA wanting. 
NECTARIES four, each having two little horns, fig.2: 
STAMINA feldom more than two or three, which are 
vifible, and placed without the Calyx : Anthe- 
tue two on each filament joined together, of a 
roundifh figure, fg. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen placed on a foot-dalk, hang- 
ing down, triangular, the angles longitudinally 
grooved, fig. 4, 6: Stigmata three, bifid at 
top, fg. 5. 
SEED-VESSEL : a Capsule of three cavities, and 
three valves, the valves protuberant, fmooth, 
and fplitting with a kind ofelafticity even while 
they are of a green colour, fg. 6 . 
SEED one in each cavity, oval, grey, with numerous de- 
prejfwns on its fur face, and a little white button 
at one end, fg. 7. 
N. B. All the parts of fr unification- are magnified. 
MANY of the Spurges confid’erably referable one another, and two of them that have this affinity, grow fre- 
quently together in Gardens, viz. the prelent Spurge, Euphorbia Peplus, and the Sun Spurge, Euphorbia Heliofeopia ; 
they may be diftiuguifhed however by the flighted attention. I11 the Heliofeopia the leaves are notched or ferrated at 
the edges, in the Peplus they are entire, in the Heliofeopia the Petals or rather NeCtaria are round and entire, in the 
Peplus each is furnifhed with two little horns, fg. 2 ; there are other marks of didindtion butthefeare the moddriking. 
This fpecies grows in Gardens and other cultivated ground, and dowers in Autumn. 
The milky fluid which it abounds with, is by forne applied to Warts, which it is faid to dedroy. 
Mod if not all the plants of this Genus contain in them this milky and gummy fubdance, which to the tade is ex- 
ceedingly acrid; and this laCtiftuous- property, joined to the peculiarity of its parts of fr unification, point out almod 
at fird light this natural family of plants. But the botanic Student who would invedigate this fpecies according 
to the principles of the Linnaean Sydem, not having thefe charadteridics- to affid him, finds a conliderable difficulty 
fn learning even the Clafs to which it belongs, nor is it poffible for him to afeertain the Clafs by an examination of 
this or fcarce any other Englidi Spurge : the Stamina in the fird place are very minute, it is feldom that more than 
two or three protrude beyond the Calyx, all the red lye concealed within it, they feldom amount to twelve in number, 
and even if they did amount to that exaCt number, their minutenefs and the milky juice which flows from the defec- 
tion, render the enumeration of them fcarce practicable. The Student may however in a great degree furmount this 
difficulty, by an examination oflome plant of this genus, which is larger in every refpedt, and the Euphorbia Lathyris 
improperly called the Caper Free, ( which is cultivated in many Gardens) will afford him a very good example, and 
tend to give him a clear idea of the dower and fruit of this lingular genus of plants. 
I would not be thought on account of this difficulty to inveigh againd Linnjeus’s Sydem, being fenfible that 
difficulties occur, and mud occur in all botanic arrangements, and indead of feleCting faults infeparable from every 
mode of claffification, (which feems to have been a favourite amufement of fome Authors, and forms indeed the 
greated part of their writings) I would ufe every endeavour to make it more perfeCt. 
It is too much the falhion now, as well as formerly, for every Botanid as foon as he thinks he has fome pretenfions to 
eminence, to fet about the arduous talk of framing a new Sydem ; he may by this meys give the public fome' idea 
of his felf-confequence, and be inrolled in the Catalogue of Sydem-makers, but not one jot will he advance the 
fcience of Botany. It is to be regretted that Botanids will not be contented with a Sydem, a proof of whole fupe- 
riority is the almod general reception it has met with throughout Europe, and unite in their endeavours to render 
that Sydem more compleat, by giving us an accurate account of the hidory of thofe plants not already given, then- 
virtues and ufes; this appears to me to be the true method of advancing this delightful Science, and making it ufe- 
full to Mankind. 
When one Sydem of Botany is generally followed as is nearly the cafe at prefent, Botanids in different kingdoms 
perfeftly underdand each others language, but when each adopts a feperate one, (which is frequently dictated by 
Pride or Caprice) all becomes Babel ; and every one who wiihes to acquire a knowledge of the plants treated of, 
mud at conliderable expence both of time and labour, acquire fird the Authors new- created Sydem-language, a tax 
which it is hoped every true Botanid will unite to oppofe. 
