EUPHORBIACEA). 
301 
Order XC. EUPHORBIACE,®.* 
Flowers monoicous or dioicous, usually monochlarnydeous, but 
sometimes dicblamydeous or acblamydeous. Perianth with a short 
tube and usually 3-5 divisions. Hypogynous disk often present and 
bordered with glands. Stamens very various in number, central or sur- 
rounding a rudimentary ovary ; anthers usually 2-celled, and dehiscing 
longitudinally. Ovary usually 3-celled ; ovules solitary or in pairs 
in the cells, pendulous ; styles as many as the cells, simple or divided. 
Fruit usually a 3-coccous capsule, the cocci breaking away from a 
persistent central column. Seeds with abundant fleshy albumen, often 
carunculate. — Herbs or shrubs of very various habit ; leaves mostly 
alternate, often stipulate ; flowers numerous, often minute, variously ar- 
ranged, the bracts or involucres sometimes a conspicuous feature of the 
inflorescence. Distrib. Cosmopolitan. Species 3000. 
Achlamydeous, with many’ males surrounding a single 
female flower in a cup-shaped involucre 
Monochlamy deous . 
Ovary 1 -celled. 
Ovules in pairs. Fruit indehiscent 
Ovules solitary. Fruit follicular 
Ovary usually 3- rarely 2-celled. Fruit a 3- rarely 
2-coccous capsule. 
Ovules in pairs. 
Stamens surrounding a rudimentary ovary . . . 
Stamens in the centre of the flower. 
Glands of the disk alternate with the perianth- 
lobes 
Glands of the disk opposite the perianth- 
lobes 
Ovules solitary in the cells. 
Flowers in monoicous racemes without a general 
involucre. 
Stamens 2-3. 
Leaves round-cuspidate 
Leaves oblanceolate . . 
Stamens 8. Flowers minute 
Stamens 10. Flowers large 
Stamens very numerous 
Flowers in a monoicous cluster with a large 2-leaved 
general involucre 
Flowers in dioicous racemes without a general in- 
volucre. 
Disk present 
Disk absent 
One or both sexes dichlamydeous. 
Flowers in racemes 
Flowers in compound corymbs. 
Calyx 5-lobed 
Calyx 2-3-lobed 
1. Euphorbia. 
2. Antidesma. 
3. Macaranga. 
4. Securinega. 
5. Phyllanthus. 
6. Agyneia. 
* Excaecaria. 
7. Stillingia. 
8. Acalypha. 
* Manihot. 
* Ricinus. 
9. Dalechampia. 
10. Claoxylon. 
11. Mallotus. 
12. Croton. 
* Jatropha. 
* Aleurites. 
