Erythrococcct and Micrococca. 583 
The only species thus transferred by Hooker to Micrococca which was 
known to Mueller is C. oligandrum . But Mueller was acquainted with 
another species which belongs to the same group, but which did not come 
within Hooker’s purview. This species is C. capense , Baill. (£tud. gen. 
Euphorb., 493), a South-East African plant of which neither Baillon nor 
Mueller knew the male flowers. Now that these are known, it is seen that 
they are borne on long, filiform, interrupted racemes, and that C. capense is 
a Micrococca and not, as Mueller imagined, a Euclaoxylon (DC. Prodr., xv. 
2, 786). 1 More recently three other species of the same group have been 
described ; these are C. Hu in bio tia n u m , Baill. (Bull. Soc. Linn. Par., 996), 
from the Comoros, with C. Volkensii , Pax (Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrik., C, 
238), and C. Holstii , Pax (Engl. Bot. Jahrb., xxxiv. 372), both from East 
Africa. The accession of these additional species shows that the arguments 
in favour of the widening of Micrococca are stronger even than they were 
in 1887, for in C. Volkensii the terminal flower of each raceme is a female 
one, and this species, while agreeing with all the others except Micrococca 
Mercurialis in being perennial, agrees with Micrococca Mercurialis in being 
monoecious. 
A feature in Micrococca which differentiates it sharply from Euclaoxylon 
is to be found in the interstaminal glands. The presence of these bodies 
in Euclaoxylon is constant. In Micrococca , on the other hand, while 
glands are present in the male flowers of C. oligandrum , C. Wightii , 
C. hirsutuni, and Micrococca Mercurialis itself, there are no such glands in 
the male flowers of C. Beddomei which Hooker, with perfect justice, has 
associated with the other species mentioned. The same thing is true of 
C. capense , C. Humblotiamnn , C. Volkensii , and C. Holstii , all of which have 
eglandular receptacles. Whatever the value of the character derived from 
the presence or absence of these glands may be in Claoxylon , in Micrococca 
that character is merely a specific one. 
Another striking peculiarity in Micrococca which is without a parallel in 
Claoxylon proper has been pointed out by Hooker. In C. oligandrum and 
in C. Beddomei the male flowers are borne on minute distant spikelets, closely 
covered with imbricating bracteoles, whereas in C. Wightii , C. hirsutuni, 
and Micrococca Mercurialis itself, the male flowers are glomerulate. The 
expanded the rachis is continuously floriferous from the top of the peduncle to the apex of the 
raceme. In 1692 Plukenet suggested that the plant figured by Rheede as Pee-Ctipameni (Hort. 
Malab., x, t. 82) might be the same thing as Alicrococca Alercurialis. In 1753 Linnaeus accepted 
this suggestion as an established fact. In this Linnaeus has been followed by Dennstedt, Dillwyn, 
and Hasskarl in their respective works on the Hortus Malabaricus . But in Pce-Cupameni the 
racemes are continuously fioriferous, and we therefore know that, whatever Pee-Cupameni may be, the 
identification of Linnaeus and of those who have followed him is incorrect. 
1 Specimens of C. oligandrum sometimes bear so close a resemblance to those of C. capense 
that it is only by dissecting their flowers that the two can be definitely distinguished. The stamens 
of C. oligandrum are always accompanied by interstaminal glands; there are no such glands in the 
male flowers of C. capense. 
