Refugium Botanicun.) [August, 1868. 
TAB. 39. 
Natural Order HupHoRBIACEX. 
Tribe KupHorBie. 
Genus Evpnorsis, Linn. 
Sect. DiAcanruium. Foliis sparsis vel obsoletis, floralibus oppositis, 
aculeis stipularibus, cymis axillaribus vel supra-axillaribus, glan- 
dulis exappendiculatis. Frutices gerontogei, carnosi, pulvinis ele- 
vatis tuberculati vel costati. 
EK. TETRAGONA (Haworth, Phil. Mag. 1826, p. 275). Fruticosa, tetra- 
gona, ramis facie planiusculis angulis obsolete dentatis, aculeis lig- 
nosis pungentibus deflexis geminatis, floribus in axillaris aculearum 
breviter pedunculatis, involucris parvis turbinato-campanulatis lobis 
rotundatis cuspidatis, foliis ad involucri basin ovatis squamiformi- 
bus, stylis brevibus liberis indivisis, capsule depressee coccis sublig- 
nosis dorso rotundatis, seminibus globosis levibus.— Boiss. in D.C. 
Prodr. vol. xv. part II. p. 84. 
A native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Root oblong, attaining a couple of inches in thickness, almost 
woody in texture, with an irregularly-cracked pale brown skin. 
Stems radiating from its crown, eight to twelve in number, always 
simple, dark green, naked, leathery in texture, tetragonous, two 
to five inches long, about half an inch in thickness both ways, the 
four faces slightly concave. Prickles in pairs which are confluent 
at the base, hard, straight, woody, sharp, two or three lines long, 
deflexed and divergent, placed in rows about a quarter of an inch 
apart on the angles of the stem. lowers from the axils of the 
spines, on short thick peduncles ; the leaves existing only in the 
form of a pair of opposite ovate membranous scales at the base of 
the involucre. Jnvolucre turbinate, about a line long, green, 
naked, coriaceous, the divisions roundish with a point, the scales 
of the throat roundish and fimbriated, membranous with red tips. 
Male flowers numerous, the longest exserted, the anthers crimson ; 
females solitary, long-stalked, much exserted, cernuous, the style 
short, thick and undivided. Capsule depresso-globose, the cocci 
almost woody, rounded at the back, an eighth of an inch deep ; 
the seeds smooth and globose.—J. G. B. 
This remarkable dwarf spiny species of Huphorbia was sent 
from South Africa, where it was obtained by Mr. Thos. Cooper. 
It requires the temperature of a warm greenhouse, and should be 
kept close to the light and moderately watered during the winter 
months. A light sandy loam with plenty of drainage seems to 
suit it best.—W. W.S. 
