ABSTRACT
One of the most characteristic features of the family Euphorbiaceae, although not by any means of universal occurrence in the family, is the type of dehiscent fruit known as the regma. Branching is for the most part monopodial in the Euphorbiaceae, although there are exceptions, as, for example, in the genus Suregada, where it is sympodial, resulting in leaf-opposed inflorescences. Among perennial forms the caespitose habit is the most common, but some Euphorbias show a tendency to spread and form mats. Reduction of floral parts is a hallmark of the Euphorbiaceae, for the unisexual flowers generally exhibit further stages and degrees of reduction beyond the suppression or elimination of the other sex. Milky latex is especially characteristic of the tribes Euphorbieae and Hippomaneae, but its most familiar manifestation for the general reader will, of course, be in the rubber-yielding plants, i.e., species of the genus Hevea and some Manihot species.
