Euphorbia Peplus. Small garden Spurge.
EUPHORBIA LinnaiGen. PI. Dodecandria T rigynia.
RailSynop. Gen. 22. Herbje vasculifer* flore tetrapetalo anomaly.
EUPHORBIA (Peplus) umbella trifida, dichotoma, involucellis ovatis, foliis integerrimis obovatis petiolatis
Linn. Syji. Fegetab. p. 375. FI. Suecic. p. 163. r •
TITHYMALUS foliis rotundis, ftipuiis floralibus cordatis, obtufis, petalis argute corniculatis. Haller. Hi/l
vol. 2. p. 9. n. 1049. * J *
PEPLUS live Efula rotunda., Bauhin. Pin. 292. Parkinfon. Gerard, emac. 503.
TITHYMALUS parvus annuus, foliis fubrotundis non crenatis, Peplus di&us. Raii Svn 4> m *» «
Petty Spurge. Hudfon. FI. Angl. p. 182. 7 * F' 3 3 ' 9‘
}; ROOT annual, woody, Ample, fibrous, and whitifh.
| : STALK generally upright, about nine inches high,
‘ round, fmooth, and branched; at bottom harder,
more flender, and of a reddilh colour, leafy
: ■ and milky.
;; BRANCHES few, not growing in any regular order,
]; the lower ones longeft and oppofite.
RADIX annua, lignofa, fimplex, fibrofa, albida.
I CAULIS, fubere&us, dodrantalis, teres, glaber, ramo-
fus, bafi durior, tenuior, fubruber, foliofus,
la&ifluus.
SjB flH fl 1 - -— . ;; UMBEL firft trifid, then dichotomous.
fOLIA obovata, pet.olata, integerr.ma, fparfa, obtufiuf- LEAVES fomewhat oval, but narroweft towards the
cula, mfen'onbus fubrotundis. bafe, having foot-ftalks, entire at the edges,
placed in no regular order, fomewhat blunt
ctttwtt ip z'/ . ................ _ the lowermoft leaves almoft round.
STIPULMumbet* tres ovato-acufce, peHolis brevibus ST IPU LE of the large umbel three in number, oval and
mfidentes, umbellula alterne oppofitse, feffiles, | pointed, placed on very Ihort foot-ftalks : of the
inaequales, mtegemmae, bafi | /mail umbel alternately oppofite, feflile, o f an
I heart-lhaped-oval form, unequal, and entire,
I at bottom on that fide to which the Germen
$ tends as if cut away.
I CALYX bellying out and continuing, fig. 1.
I COROLLA wanting.
f four, each having two little horns, fig.z.
R.'iMI pauci, iparfi, inferioribus longioribus oppofitis.
UMBELLA trifida, dichotoma.
cordato-ovatie,
qua tendit germen quafi excavate.
I CALYX ventricofus, perfiftens, fig. 1.
COROLLA nulla.
| NECTARIA quatuor bicorniculata, fig. 2.
STAMINA plerumque duo, aut tria, vifibilia, exferta: | STAMINA ftldom’mo're t h a n ' a r e
A n therje didym*, fubrotund«, Jig. 3. | vifible, and placed without the Caly^ . A n t "®
PISTÏLLUM j Gérmen pedunculatum,
angulare, angulis longitudinaliter fulcatis, fig.
4. 6 .: Stigmata tria, apice bifida, fig. c.
diffilientibuS, fig . 6.
unicum in fingukrl
num, alveolalumi appendiculatum, fig. 7.
N. B. Omnes partes fru&ificationis lente augentur.
| two on each filament joined together, of a
f roundilh figure, fig. 3.
nutans, tri- | PIST1LLUM: Germen placed on a foot-ftalk, hang-
| ing down, triangular, the angles longitudinally
| grooved, fig. 4. 6.: Stigmata three, bifid at
PERICARPIUM: Capsula tricocca, trilocularis, tri- f SE ED -V E S SE L * Capsule of three cavities, and
M M M M et dum adhuc vir>d« I three valves, the valves protuberant, fmooth,
drffihentibuS, yfg. 6. | and fplitting with a kind o f elafticity even while
c&»jn?vr 2 they are of a green colour, fig . 6 .
SEMEN ovatum, ca- | SEED one in each cavity, oval, grey,“ with numerous de-
| prejjions on its fur face, and a | at one end, little white button fig. 7.
. N. B. All the parts of fructification are magnified.
lm,™H!fJ ° r 1,the- S^ <'SJe!COnfi-deraLbly M one another> and two of them that have this affinity grow fre-
i B W M G? d; nf ’ § 1 i n f l r 8 S p l *nd « Sun Spurge, Euphorbi/Sellofcopla:
I H F W b d.ftmgu .med, however, by the flighteft attention. In the Helicfcepia the leaves are notched or rerratedut
f F m are “ T l In the the « «'her Nedaria, are round and
f This W B horns, fig 2. There are other marks of diftinaion; but thefe are the moft ftriking.
This fpecies grows in Gardens and other cultivated ground, and flowers in Autumn. “
rne milky fluid, which it abounds with, is by fome applied to Warts, which it is faid to deftroy.
ttedLgly acrid " i th<f thU r '* ■y “ d gUmmy fubftance- which to the tafte is exit
firftfcbr rb- ’ . proPert£ Joined to the peculiarity of its parts of fruaification, point out almoft
llotheofndS^ af “ ra:1 famlIy of plants. But the botanic Student, who would inveftigate this ^ecies according
in earning evln the^ I f 1 " 0t haV" ’? 5 ‘I f aharaacrifti« t0 *«<1 him, finds a confiderable difficult!
I l i J n £ ? T ho h lC belonSs» nor 1S lC poffible for him to afcertain theClafs by an examination of
tW0 o r J hue m the firft place, are very minute; it is feldom that more than
i «nd even if f f l l i B beyond t h e a JJthe re,ft he concealed within i t : They feldom amount to twelve in number;
tion w» Al( d,d | M nt m JbaC exaft number, their mmutenefs, and the milky juice which flows from the diflec-
t ° {r e F ^ hU- The sJdent may, h o ^ e r , m a g « ? d ^ T ^ S S ,
mproDeriv filled th r T °£.fol" e Pl.a,lt.of thla genus, which is larger in every refpea; and the Euphorbia Latbyrls,
taId « m. fgiL h ?m aa cdleeaarf iid£eaa oo^f Tthhe^ ffll ower1 5a nd fruit oef "t his AngGua,lradr egnesn)’u sH of paSlabnrtds .him a very S°“d example, and
difficulties occur6 th‘- difficulty’ t0 inveiSh aSainft L innaeus’s Syftem, being fenfible that
»"de ofdaffificarion u f , f t ’ * ’ aI1, botaP,c =>™gements 1 and, inftead of feleding faults Infeparable from every
l t“ ha^ebe“ * fa™ur‘te amufement of fome Authors, and forms indeed thi
Iti<: r c ot ,e,r writings), I would ufe every endeavour to make it more perfect.
1 > » mU nT ’ aS h i as M every Botanift, as foon as he thinks he has fome pretenfion,
i * arduous taffi of framing a new Syftem. He may by this means give the public fome idea
kience of Bomnv Tr lo / I b inrolled in the Caulogue of Syftem-makers, but not one jot will he advance the
i riority is the almoftIc t0 Botani? s Wl1111 ot be contented with a Syftem, a proof of whofe fupe-
■ ' K’ S met With thr° " ^ 0Uut Eu T pe’ a'ld unr'e in their endeavours to render
§ 1 1 B E . W f t bygmng us an accurate account of the hiftory of thole plants not already given, their
jnfcful to Mankind. T aPPears t0 me t0 tbe 'rue method of advancing this delightful Science, and making it
Wh'v ° f b°ta!!y !S f el' era,1y followed, as is nearly the cafe at prefect, Botanifts in different kingdoms
ff"'iddefoorf CCaaDJrt Jcej ai"!,1n, ^1™ o l i i!ng“ a? !i bbuutt>l wwhheenn eeaacchh aaddooppttss aa ffeeppaarraartec oonnee ((wwhhiicchh iiss ffrreeqquueennttllyy ddiiddaatfeedd bbyy
Imuft a, K j ' m 1 bec°™s Babel; and every one, who wilhes to acquire a knowledge of the plants treated of
“ len tt 18 hoped every true Botanift will unite to oppofe. 4