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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
1.—THE PURPLE SPURGE. (Euphorbia Peplis, Lin.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot^ t. 2002 ; 2nd ed., t. 1226 ; and our fig. 
6, in PL 52. 
Specific Character. — Branches firm. Leaves oblong, deeply 
cordate on one side at the base, entire, or slightly toothed towards the 
base, between fleshy and membranous, very smooth. Fruit ovate, 
three-cornered, polished and quite smooth. Seeds ovate, somewhat 
four-cornered, smooth, whitish. (Roper.) 
Description, &c. —An annual plant, with glaucous fleshy leaves tinged with either red or purple. It is 
only found on the sandy sea-coasts of Cornwall and Devonshire, where it flowers from July to September. 
THE SUN SPURGE, OR WART WORT. (E. helioscopa, Lin.) 
This is a very common dwarf annual weed, which abounds in an acrid milky juice, much used in country 
places to destroy warts, and sometimes as a cure for the bite of a viper. It flowers in July. 
THE IRISH SPURGE. (E. Hiberna, Lin.) 
This species is a perennial, the flowers of which are somewhat ornamental. It is a large plant, and flowers in 
June. The peasants of the county of Kerry, in Ireland, are said to use this species for stupifying fish, in the 
same way as the Chinese use the E. piscatoria. 
CORAL-LIKE HAIRY SPURGE. (E. coralloides, Lin.) 
A handsome plant, with widely-spreading branches and hairy capsules. 
CYPRESS SPURGE. (E. Cyparissias, Lin. 
This species is found abundantly in some of the midland counties and in Northumberland ; and it is princi¬ 
pally remarkable for its tufted stem and linear leaves, which bear considerab Ie resemblance to those of a cypress. 
SEA SPURGE. (E. Paraltas, Lin.) 
A singular plant, with fleshy, closely-imbricated leaves, and deep orange-coloured glands. It is a perennial, 
growing on the sandy sea-coasts of the south of England and Ireland, and flowering in August and September. 
PETTY SPURGE. (E. Peplus, Lin.) 
An annual weed, growing abundantly everywhere, with deep-green leaves, and the glands of the involucrum 
yellow. It flowers in August. 
CAPER SPURGE. (E. Lathyris, Lin.) 
A large and ornamental plant, the fruit of which, when pickled, forms a good substitute for capers, and is 
perfectly wholesome, though it is poisonous, from its acridity, when freshly gathered. It is a biennial, and 
flowers in July. It is sometimes called the Mole plant ; because moles are said to avoid it. 
WOOD SPURGE. (E. amygdaloides, Lin.) 
A very handsome half-woody species, with red stems and yellowish flowers, which are produced in March 
and April. The plant is common in woods and thickets; and it has a variety with variegated leaves. 
RED SHRUBBY SPURGE. (E. Choracias, Lin.) 
This species is still more handsome than the last. The plant grows about four feet high; the leaves are of a 
deep green and the flowers yellowish, but the glands of the involucrum are of a deep reddish purple. The 
species is a shrub, and it flowers in March and April. It is supposed not to be a true native ; as it has only 
been found wild in Needwood Forest in Staffordshire, and in the woods near Godaiming in Surrey, where it was 
discovered by my friends, the Misses Perry. 
