Euphorbi a H e l i o s c o p i a . Sun S p u r g e
or W a r t W o r t.
EUPHORBIA Linncei Gen. PI. D odecandria T r yg yn ia .
Cor. 4-f. 5-petala, calyci infidens. Cal. i-phyllus, ventricolus.
Cap/. 3-cocca.
Raii Syn. Gen. 22. Herb.-e va scu lifer^e, flore te tr a p e t alo an om al y .
EUPHORBIA umbella quinquefida : trifida: dichotoma, involucellis obovatis, foliis cuneiformibus
ferratis. Linn. Syfi. Vegetab. p. 377. Sp. Plant. 658. FI. Suecic. p. 162.
TITHYMALUS foliis petiolatis, fubrotundis, ferratis, ftipulis rotundis, ferratis. Haller hiß. v. 2.
p. 10. n. 1050.
TITHYMA LUS heliofcopius. Scopoli FI. Carniol. p. 337. n. 579.
TITHYMA LUS heliofcopius. Bauhin. Pin. 291. Gerard emac. 458. Parkinfon. 18g.
TITHYMA LUS heliofcopius five folifequus. I. B. 3. 669. Raii Syn. 313. Hudfov, Fl.Angl.p. 183.
RADIX fimplex, fibrofa, annua.
CAULIS ereftus, teres, pilofus, inferne brachiatus, f
brachiis oppofitis.
FOLIA fparfa, pauca, glabra, J errata, cuneiformia, §
inferiora petiolata, fuperiora feflilia.
UMBELLA quinquefida, trifida, dichotoma, patens, |
fafiigiata. $
STIPULÆ minute ferratæ, glabræ, Umbellæ quin-
que, obovatæ, horizontales, æquales, Umbel- f
lulce très, ovatæ, inæquales, interiore duplo $
minore, quæ fequuntur mucrone terminatæ. f
CALYX fubventricofus, flavefcens, fig. 1. - |
COROLLA nulla. • , j(
NECTARIA quatuor, fubrotunda, nuda, fig. 2. |
STAMINA: Filamenta duo, tria, aut plura, vifi- |
bilia, exferta ; A ntheræ flavæ, bîloculares,
lôculis fubrotundis, fig. 3.
f
PISTILLUM : G ermen pedunculatum, fubrotun- |
dum, nutans; S tigm a ta tria, apice bifida, a -fis- 4, 5- " I
PERICARPIUM : Capsula tricocca, trilocularis, i
trivalvis, fig. 6. |
SEMEN unicum in fingulo loculamento, ovatum, |
rugofum ex purpureo fufcum, fig. 7.
ROOT fimpie, fibrous, annual.
S T A LK upright, round, {lightly hairy, below branched,
the branches oppofite.
LEAVE S growing in no regular order, few, fmooth,
ferrated, and wedge-fhaped, the lower ones
{landing on foot-ftalks, the upper ones feffile.
UMBELL dividing into five, next three, then two,
fpreading, of an equal height at top.
S T IPU L E minutely ferrated and fmooth, thofe of the
Umbell five, fomewhat oval, {preading'ho-
rizontally, and equal; thofe o f the fm aller
U mbell three, oval, unequal, the interior
one twice as fmall as the others; thofe
which fqllow terminating in a point.
CA L YX fomewhat fwelled, o f a yellowifh colour,
J&-1-
COR.OLLA wanting.
NECTARIA four, roundifh and naked, fig. 2.
STAMINA: two, three, or more Filaments, vifible
beyond the Calyx ; A n th e r s yellow, bilocular,
the cavities containing the Pollen
roundifh, fig. 3.
PIST IL LUM : G ermen placed on a foot-ftalk,
roundifh, hanging down ; Stigm a ta three,
bifid at top, fig. 4, 5.
SEED-VESSEL a Capsule o f three protuberating
valves, and three cavities, fig. 6.
SEEDS one in each cavity, oval, wrinkled, o f a
purplifh brown colour, fig. 7.
In fp^aking of the Euphorbia Peplus, I had occafion to take notice of the difficulty which Students in
Botany find m inveftigating the Clefs and Order of this Genus, and endeavoured to make it eafierto them :
in this plant, the parts of the fruftification are fomewhat larger; and it differs from the other Spurges in
having its leaves finely ferrated. In its acrimonious quality it is inferior to none; hence it has often been
applied to Warts for the purpofe of deftroying them • but even in this cafe, great care fhould be ufed in its
application. My friend Mr. W illiam W a vel l lately informed me of a cafe which fell under his notice in
the Ifle of Wight, where, from the application of the juice of this Spurge to fome Warts near the eye .of a
little girl, the whole face became inflamed to a very great degree.
It is very common in gardens and cultivated ground, flowering in Autumn.