Flowers monœcious, rarely diœcious, in a terminal open forking cyme; the fertile ones usually in the lower forks. Calyx corolla-like, in the staminate flowers often salver shaped, 5-lobed; in the pistillate, 5-parted, imbricated or convolute in the bud. Corolla of 5 distinct or apparently united petals, or none. Glands of the disk opposite the calyx-lobes. Stamens 10–30, in 2 or more whorls; filaments monadelphous at base. Ovary mostly 3-celled; styles 3, united below, their summits once or twice forked. Capsule 3-celled, 3-seeded, separating into 3 two-valved carpels. Seed carunculate.—Perennial herbaceous or shrubby plants, chiefly tropical, with alternate mostly long-petioled palmately-veined leaves, and stipules.—Our species is of the section Cnidóscolus, with apetalous flowers, the staminate corolla salver-form, and the plants mostly armed with stinging bristles. (Name said by Linnæus to be formed of ἰατρὸν, a remedy, and φάγω, to eat.)
1. J. stimulòsa, Michx. (Tread-softly. Spurge-Nettle.) Herbaceous, from a long perennial root, branching (6´–2° high); leaves roundish-heart-shaped, 3–5-lobed nearly to the base, on long petioles; the divisions entire or acutely toothed, cut, or even pinnatifid, often discolored; flowers white, fragrant, 9´´ long or more; filaments 10, monadelphous only at the woolly base, or the outer set almost distinct. (J. urens, var. stimulosa, J. Muell.)—Dry sandy soil, Va. to Fla. and La. June–Sept.
5. CRÒTON, L.
Flowers monœcious, rarely diœcious, mostly in terminal spike-like racemes or spikes. Ster. Fl. Calyx 5- (rarely 4–6-) parted; the divisions lightly imbricated or nearly valvate in the bud. Petals usually present, as many, but mostly small or rudimentary, hypogynous. Glands or lobes of the disk as many as and alternate with the petals. Receptacle usually hairy. Stamens 5 or more; filaments with the anthers inflexed in the bud. Fert. Fl. Calyx 5–10-cleft or parted, nearly as in the staminate flowers; but petals none or minute rudiments. Ovary 3- (rarely 2–4-) celled, with a single ovule in each cell; styles as many, from once to thrice 2-cleft. Capsule separating into as many 2-valved 1-seeded carpels. Seeds carunculate.—Stellate-downy, or scurfy, or hairy and glandular plants, mostly strong-scented; the fertile flowers usually at the base of the sterile spike or cluster. Leaves alternate, or sometimes imperfectly opposite, with or without obvious stipules. (Κροτών, the Greek name of the Castor-oil Plant, of this family.)
[*] Sterile flowers with 4-parted calyx, as many petals, a 4-rayed disk and 8 stamens; fertile flowers with 5-parted calyx, very minute rudimentary petals, and the 3 styles 2-cleft.
1. C. glandulòsus, L. Annual, rough-hairy and glandular (1–2° high), somewhat umbellately branched; leaves oblong or linear-oblong, obtusely toothed, the base with a saucer-shaped gland on each side; fertile flowers capitate-clustered at the base of the sterile spike, sessile in the forks and terminal.—Open waste places, Va. to Iowa, E. Kan. and southward.
[*][*] Sterile flowers with 5-parted calyx, as many glands alternating with the petals, and 10–14 stamens; fertile flowers with 7–12-parted calyx, no petals, and the 3 styles twice or thrice 2-parted.
2. C. capitàtus, Michx. Annual, densely soft-woolly and somewhat glandular (1–2° high), branched; leaves long-petioled, lance-oblong or elongated-oblong, rounded at base, entire; petals obovate-lanceolate, densely fimbriate; fertile flowers several, capitate-crowded at the base of the short terminal sterile spike.—Barrens, N. J. to Ga., west to S. Ind., Iowa, and E. Kan. July–Sept.
[*][*][*] Sterile flowers with unequally 3–5-parted calyx, as many petals and scale-like glands, and 3–8 stamens; fertile flowers with equally 5-parted calyx, no petals, 5 glands, and 2 sessile 2-parted stigmas.
3. C. monanthógynus, Michx. Annual, whitish-stellate-pubescent and rusty-glandular; stems (1–2° high) slender, erect, below often umbellately 3–4-forked, then repeatedly 2–3-forked or alternately branched; leaves oblong-ovate or narrowly oblong, entire, often acutish (6–12´´ long, about twice the length of the petioles); flowers in the forks, the sterile few on the summit of a short and erect peduncle, the fertile few and clustered or mostly solitary on short recurved peduncles; ovary 2-celled; fruit often by abortion 1-celled and 1-seeded; the seed broadly oval.—Barrens and dry prairies, S. Ind. to N. C. and Fla., west to E. Kan. June–Sept.