Leonhard Euler was a Swiss mathematician and physicist, one of the founders of pure mathematics. He not only made decisive and formative contributions to the subjects of geometry, calculus, mechanics, and number theory but also developed methods for solving problems in observational astronomy and

Ulf von Euler was a Swedish physiologist who, with British biophysicist Sir Bernard Katz and American biochemist Julius Axelrod, received the 1970 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. All three were honoured for their independent study of the mechanics of nerve impulses. Euler was the son of

Hans von Euler-Chelpin was a Swedish biochemist who shared the 1929 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Sir Arthur Harden for work on the role of enzymes in the fermentation of sugar. After graduating from the University of Berlin (1895), Euler-Chelpin worked with Walther Nernst and in 1897 became

Hans von Euler-Chelpin was a Swedish biochemist who shared the 1929 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Sir Arthur Harden for work on the role of enzymes in the fermentation of sugar. After graduating from the University of Berlin (1895), Euler-Chelpin worked with Walther Nernst and in 1897 became

Hans von Euler-Chelpin was a Swedish biochemist who shared the 1929 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Sir Arthur Harden for work on the role of enzymes in the fermentation of sugar. After graduating from the University of Berlin (1895), Euler-Chelpin worked with Walther Nernst and in 1897 became

Ulf von Euler was a Swedish physiologist who, with British biophysicist Sir Bernard Katz and American biochemist Julius Axelrod, received the 1970 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. All three were honoured for their independent study of the mechanics of nerve impulses. Euler was the son of

fluid mechanics: Navier-stokes equation: …equation is known as the Euler equation. The whole is called the Navier-Stokes equation.

graph theory: …vertex is known as an Eulerian circuit, and the graph is called an Eulerian graph. An Eulerian graph is connected and, in addition, all its vertices have even degree.

combinatorics: Eulerian cycles and the Königsberg bridge problem: An Eulerian cycle of a multigraph G is a closed chain in which each edge appears exactly once. Euler showed that a multigraph possesses an Eulerian cycle if and only if it is connected (apart from isolated points) and the number of vertices of odd degree…

combinatorics: Eulerian cycles and the Königsberg bridge problem: An Eulerian cycle of a multigraph G is a closed chain in which each edge appears exactly once. Euler showed that a multigraph possesses an Eulerian cycle if and only if it is connected (apart from isolated points) and the number of vertices of odd degree…

Kosovo: Self-declared independence: …deployed its mission, known as Eulex, in December. Eulex, made up of about 2,000 officials from a number of European countries, would oversee police, judicial, and customs activities in Kosovo.

coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Eulichadidae A few species in Asia, North America. Family Heteroceridae (variegated mud-loving beetles) About 500 widely distributed species; example Heterocerus. Family Limnichidae (minute marsh-loving beetles)

Spain: The independent emirate: …the extremist chiefs Alvarus and Eulogius (the latter being canonized after his death), the Mozarabs sought to strengthen their Christian faith through the aura of martyrdom and began to publicly revile the Prophet Muhammad, an action punishable by death from 850 onward, according to Mozarabic sources. The emir sought to…

Cassino, town, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. Cassino lies along the Rapido River at the foot of Monte (mount) Cassino, 87 miles (140 km) southeast of Rome. It originated as Casinum, a town of the ancient Volsci people on a site adjacent to the modern town, on the lower slopes of the

oratory: Its aim was to eulogize an individual, a cause, occasion, movement, city, or state, or to condemn them. Prominent in ancient Greece were the funeral orations in honour of those killed in battle. The outstanding example of these is one by Pericles, perhaps the most finished orator of the…

Ray Romano: In the dark comedy Eulogy (2004) he was cast as the maladjusted eldest son mourning the death of the family patriarch. That year he also appeared in Welcome to Mooseport, about a small-town political race, starring with Gene Hackman. Romano played a tabloid reporter in the dark comedy Rob…

Maximus The Greek: …anti-Latin church treatise entitled “Eulogy for the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.” The “Eulogy” includes a criticism of Western Christianity for fostering the doctrine of the existence of purgatory, a belief in a requisite period of spiritual cleansing after death to enable union with God.

crustacean: Annotated classification: Eumalacostraca Late Devonian to Holocene; carapace (when present) not bivalved; rostrum fixed; first antenna 2-branched; thoracic legs with slender, many-segmented outer branch and stout, 7-segmented inner branch, often pincerlike, used in walking or food-gathering; 6 (rarely 7) abdominal segments, with pleopods and terminal uropods. Superorder…

lizard: Parental care: …of some species, notably the five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) of the United States and many of its relatives, remain with their eggs throughout the incubation time (about six weeks); they leave the clutch infrequently to feed. These skinks turn their eggs regularly and, if the eggs are experimentally scattered, will…

unicorn fish: The elongate Eumecichthys fiski, in the crestfish family Lophotidae (order Lampridiformes), is also called unicorn fish.

melanocyte: …of two kinds: dark brown eumelanin and pale red or yellowish phaeomelanin. Both are formed within the melanocytes by the initial oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine with the aid of the enzyme tyrosinase; subsequently their synthetic pathways diverge.

Eumenes was a Greek general who upheld the cause of the Macedonian royal house in the civil war that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323. Ancient sources agree that Eumenes was an extremely able general. In the distribution of the empire after Alexander’s death, he was assigned

Eumenes I was the ruler of Pergamum, in Mysia, from 263 to 241 who, in 262, liberated his city from the overlordship of the Seleucids, a dynasty founded in Syria by one of the successors of Alexander the Great. Eumenes succeeded his uncle Philetaerus in 263 and in the following year defeated the

Eumenes II was the king of Pergamum from 197 until his death. A brilliant statesman, he brought his small kingdom to the peak of its power and did more than any other Attalid monarch to make Pergamum a great centre of Greek culture in the East. Eumenes was the eldest son and successor of Attalus I

Oresteia: The third play, Eumenides, opens at the shrine of Apollo at Delphi, where Orestes has taken sanctuary from the Furies. At the command of the Delphic oracle, Orestes journeys to Athens to stand trial for his matricide. There the goddess Athena organizes a trial with a jury of…

Furies, in Greco-Roman mythology, the chthonic goddesses of vengeance. They were probably personified curses, but possibly they were originally conceived of as ghosts of the murdered. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, they were the daughters of Gaea (Earth) and sprang from the blood of her

Darius Milhaud: (1913), Choéphores (1915), and Les Euménides (1917–22). Whips and hammers are introduced into the orchestration of this trilogy, a work of great dramatic force, in which the chorus is required to groan, whistle, and shriek. His other operas include Christophe Colomb (1930; text by Claudel); Le Pauvre Matelot (1926;…

wasp: The potter, or mason, wasps (subfamily Eumeninae) of the Vespidae build nests of mud, which are sometimes vaselike or juglike and may be found attached to twigs or other objects.

Eumenius was a Roman orator and teacher of rhetoric, born in Augustodunum, Gaul (now Autun, France), who was the author of Oratio pro instaurandis scholis (“Oration on the Restoration of the Schools”), an interesting document on the education of his time as well as a vigorous panegyric of Emperor

taxonomy: A classification of living organisms: Subkingdom Eumetazoa Phylum Mesozoa (mesozoans) Phylum Cnidaria (or Coelenterata; cnidarians) Phylum Ctenophora (ctenophores) Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms)

sea lion: The northern, or Steller, sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is a pale- to golden-brown sea lion of the Bering Sea and both sides of the North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest member of the eared seals. Males are about 3.3 metres in length and weigh 1,000…

space exploration: Meteorology: …Europe an intergovernmental organization called Eumetsat was created in 1986 to operate Europe’s meteorological satellites and provide their observations to national weather services. Agencies around the world cooperate in the exchange of data from their satellites. Meteorological satellites are an excellent example of both the ability of space systems to…

Eumolpus: …the priestly clan of the Eumolpids at Eleusis, a town west of Athens, and the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the best known of the Greek mystery cults. His name (meaning “good” or “strong singer”; i.e., a priest who could chant his litanies clearly and well) was a personification of…

eumolpique, poetic measure devised by the French poet and composer Antoine Fabre d’Olivet (1767–1825). It consists of two unrhymed alexandrines (lines of iambic hexameter), the first verse of 12 syllables ending in masculine (stressed) rhyme, the second of 13 syllables ending in feminine

Eumolpus, mythical ancestor of the priestly clan of the Eumolpids at Eleusis, a town west of Athens, and the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the best known of the Greek mystery cults. His name (meaning “good” or “strong singer”; i.e., a priest who could chant his litanies clearly and well) was a

slime mold, any of about 500 species of primitive organisms containing true nuclei and resembling both protozoan protists and fungi. The term slime mold embraces a heterogeneous assemblage of organisms whose juxtaposition reflects a historical confusion between superficial resemblances and actual

Saint Adamnan ; feast day September 23) was an abbot and scholar, particularly noted as the biographer of St. Columba. Nothing is known of Adamnan’s early life. In 679 he was elected abbot of Iona, the ninth in succession from St. Columba, the founder. While on a visit to Northumbria, he adopted

Eunapius was a Greek rhetorician and historiographer whose Lives of the Philosophers and Sophists is important as a source of information on contemporary Neoplatonists (edited with Latin translation by J.F. Boissonade, 1849; with English translation by W.C. Wright, Philostratus and Eunapius, 1922).

anaconda, (genus Eunectes), any of three to five species of large, constricting, water-loving snakes found in tropical South America classified in the family Boidae (see also boa). Green anacondas (Eunectes akayima, the northern green anaconda, and E. murinus, the southern green anaconda) are among

anaconda: The yellow, or southern, anaconda (E. notaeus), however, is much smaller, adult females reaching a maximum length of about 4.4–4.6 meters (roughly 14.4–15.1 feet) long. Historically, two additional forms, the beni (E. beniensis) and the dark-spotted anaconda (E. deschauenseei), which are closely related to E. notaeus,…

annelid: Annotated classification: …examples of genera: Palola (palolo), Eunice, Stauronereis, Lumbineris, Onuphis. Order Orbiniida Sedentary; head pointed or rounded without appendages; proboscis eversible and unarmed; body divided into distinct thorax and abdomen; gills arise dorsally from thoracic region;

palolo worm: viridis or Eunice viridis]) inhabits crevices and cavities in coral reefs. As the breeding season approaches, the tail end of the body undergoes a radical change. The muscles and most of the organs degenerate, and the reproductive organs rapidly increase in size. The limbs on the posterior…

annelid: Annotated classification: Order Eunicida Free-moving; head with or without appendages and eyes; proboscis with dorsal maxillae (upper jaws) of 1 to many paired pieces, a ventral pair of mandibles (lower jaws) more or less fused along the median line, and a pair of embedded maxillary carriers; parapodia single-lobed,…

Myspace: …Internet marketing company eUniverse (later Intermix Media), created Myspace in 2003. It quickly distinguished itself from established social networking sites by allowing—and in fact encouraging—musical artists to use the site to promote themselves, earning Myspace a hip cachet and making it a favoured destination site for youth. It also developed…

Eunomius was an extreme proponent of Arianism (q.v.). With the Arian philosopher and bishop Aëtius, he established the Eunomian sect (see Anomoean), which, although it had an ecclesiastical organization (centred on Constantinople) and several bishops, did not long survive Eunomius. After serving as

turtle: Origin and evolution: Eunotosaurus africanus, the earliest known turtle, lived 260 million years ago. Eunotosaurus was toothed, and its midsection contained nine elongated trunk vertebrae, nine pairs of broad T-shaped dorsal ribs, and five pairs of gastralia (ventrally located abdominal ribs). Collectively, these modified bones may have served…

eunuch, castrated human male. From remote antiquity, eunuchs were employed in the Middle East and in China in two main functions: as guards and servants in harems or other women’s quarters, and as chamberlains to kings. Eunuchs were considered the most suitable guards for the many wives or

Terence: In the Eunuchus he added to Menander’s Eunouchos two characters, a soldier and his “parasite”—a hanger-on whose flattery of and services to his patron were rewarded with free dinners—both of them from another play by Menander, the Kolax (The Parasite). In the Adelphi, he added an exciting…

Eunus was the leader of a slave revolt against the Romans in Sicily from 135 to 132 bc. A Syrian by birth, Eunus was a slave at Enna in Sicily, where he gained the confidence of other slaves in a revolt against their masters. Before long 70,000 slaves were organized into a fighting force. Enna was

Euonymus, genus of about 130 species of shrubs, woody climbers, and small trees, in the staff tree family (Celastraceae), native to temperate Asia, North America, and Europe. The genus includes many popular landscape ornamental shrubs and ground covers, a number of which are known for their vibrant

burning bush: The winged spindle tree, or winged euonymus (E. alatus), is often called burning bush. A shrub growing to a height of 2.5 metres (8 feet), it has several cultivated varieties, including a dwarf, compact branching form, which is much used in landscaping. See also Euonymus.

Euonymus: The strawberry bush (E. americanus) from the same region is lower and has pinkish fruits.

burning bush: …is Euonymus atropurpureus, also called wahoo. This shrub, or small tree, up to 8 metres (26 feet) in height, is native to the eastern and north-central United States. It bears small purplish flowers and small scarlet fruits. The western burning bush (E. occidentalis), up to 5.5 metres (18 feet) tall,…

Euonymus: The European spindle tree (E. europaeus), which grows to 6 metres (20 feet), keeps its poisonous pink and orange fruits after the leaves fall. In eastern Europe, gutta-percha resin is extracted from this plant. The wood is used for pegs and spindles, and several varieties of…

Euonymus: Winter creeper euonymus (Euonymus fortunei), from East Asia, climbs by aerial rootlets. It has glossy evergreen leaves and clusters of greenish flowers followed by orange fruits. Its many cultivated varieties include bigleaf, glossy, sarcoxie, baby, longwood, and purpleleaf, widely used in landscaping.

burning bush: The western burning bush (E. occidentalis), up to 5.5 metres (18 feet) tall, is found along the western coastal United States. The winged spindle tree, or winged euonymus (E. alatus), is often called burning bush. A shrub growing to a height of 2.5 metres (8 feet),…

Euonymus: Winter creeper euonymus (Euonymus fortunei), from East Asia, climbs by aerial rootlets. It has glossy evergreen leaves and clusters of greenish flowers followed by orange fruits. Its many cultivated varieties include bigleaf, glossy, sarcoxie, baby, longwood, and purpleleaf, widely used in landscaping.

Euoplocephalus, (genus Euoplocephalus), armoured North American dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous Period (99.6 million to 65.5 million years ago). Like its close relative Ankylosaurus and the more distantly related Nodosaurus, Euoplocephalus was a massive animal that likely weighed more than two

bush baby: The needle-clawed bush babies are classified in another genus, Euoticus. The two species live in the rainforests of west-central Africa. They feed on tree exudate, clinging upside-down to the bark of a tree by digging in their sharp-pointed clawlike nails, stabbing the bark with specialized canine…

hermit crab: Pagurus (Eupagurus) bernhardus, a common, bright red hermit crab of European and North American coastal waters, often carries one or more anemones on its shell. The robber crab, native to islands of the South Pacific, is a terrestrial species that has discarded the shell-dwelling habit.

Tunnel of Eupalinos, tunnel drilled on the Aegean island of Sámos in the 6th century bce, one of the major feats of ancient engineering. The tunnel was dug to carry water for the capital city of the tyrant Polycrates from springs on the far side of Mount Kastro. It was built, according to

mathematics: The pre-Euclidean period: …6th century bce the engineer Eupalinus of Megara directed an aqueduct through a mountain on the island of Samos, and historians still debate how he did it. In a further indication of the practical aspects of early Greek mathematics, Plato describes in his Laws how the Egyptians drilled their children…

Euparkeria, extinct genus of reptile very closely related to the ancestral archosaurs (a group containing present-day crocodiles and birds and ancestral dinosaurs and pterosaurs). Specimens are found as fossils in Middle Triassic rocks of South Africa (245 to 240 million years ago). Euparkeria was

Yevpatoriya, city, Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the Kalamit Bay on the west coast of the Crimean Peninsula. Founded in the 6th century bce as a Greek colony and later renamed for Mithradates VI Eupator, sixth king of Pontus, the city has known many masters, passing to Russia with the annexation of

Eupatorium, genus of about 60 species of plants belonging to the aster family (Asteraceae). Members of the genus are found chiefly in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, though some species are also found in tropical South America, the West Indies, and Mexico. Several are grown as

boneset, (Eupatorium perfoliatum), North American plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). The plant is sometimes grown in rain gardens and attracts butterflies. Boneset tea is a folk remedy for fever, and traditionally the leaves were wrapped around broken bones to promote their healing. Boneset is

stevia, (Stevia rebaudiana), flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae) grown for its sweet-tasting leaves. The plant is native to Paraguay, where it has a long history of use by the Guaraní people. The leaves contain a number of sweet-tasting chemicals known as steviol glycosides, which can

white snakeroot, (Ageratina altissima), poisonous North American herb of the aster family (Asteraceae). White snakeroot contains a toxic alcohol (tremetol), and cattle allowed to pasture on the plant may suffer muscular tremors (the “trembles”), weakness, constipation, and death. Persons who drink

eupatrid, (Greek: “of a good father”), member of the nobility of ancient Athens. It is likely that public office before 594 bc was in practice confined to the eupatridae and that they had a political monopoly comparable to that of other Greek aristocracies in the Archaic period. Solon’s reforms, by

eupatrid, (Greek: “of a good father”), member of the nobility of ancient Athens. It is likely that public office before 594 bc was in practice confined to the eupatridae and that they had a political monopoly comparable to that of other Greek aristocracies in the Archaic period. Solon’s reforms, by

Eupen-et-Malmédy: Eupen-et-Malmédy lies along the border with Germany and consists of the so-called cantons rédimés (“redeemed cantons”) of Eupen, Malmédy, and Sankt Vith. Until 1794 the region was part of the duchy of Limbourg, the ecclesiastical principality of Stavelot-Malmédy, and the duchy of Luxembourg. Under French…

Eupen-et-Malmédy, region in Verviers arrondissement, Liège province, Wallonia région, Belgium. Eupen-et-Malmédy lies along the border with Germany and consists of the so-called cantons rédimés (“redeemed cantons”) of Eupen, Malmédy, and Sankt Vith. Until 1794 the region was part of the duchy of

krill: The body of E. superba is about 5 cm (2 inches) long and translucent, with reddish brown blotches. The swimming larvae pass through nine stages of development. Males mature in about 22 months, females in about 25 months. During a spawning period of about five and a half…

krill, any member of the crustacean order Euphausiacea or of the genus Euphausia within that suborder. Euphausiids are shrimplike marine animals that are pelagic in habit (i.e., they live in the open sea). They differ from true shrimp (order Decapoda) in that their gills are located on the swimming

krill, any member of the crustacean order Euphausiacea or of the genus Euphausia within that suborder. Euphausiids are shrimplike marine animals that are pelagic in habit (i.e., they live in the open sea). They differ from true shrimp (order Decapoda) in that their gills are located on the swimming

euphemism, a mild or indirect word or phrase used in place of a statement or word that is considered disagreeable or offensive. The word euphemism originated in the mid-17th century from the Greek word euphēmismos, which means “use auspicious words,” with the prefix eu- meaning “good,” or “well,”

Euphemites, extinct genus of gastropods (snails) abundant during the Late Carboniferous Period (between 320 and 286 million years ago) in the shallow seas that covered the midcontinental region of North America. Euphemites was a small, globular snail with a broad and arcuate (bow-shaped) aperture.

euphonia, any of several tropical American birds of the tanager family. See

euphonium, brass wind instrument with valves, pitched in C or B♭ an octave below the trumpet; it is the leading instrument in the tenor-bass range in military bands. It was invented in 1843 by Sommer of Weimar and derived from the valved bugle (flügelhorn) and cornet. It has a wide conical bore

euphony and cacophony, sound patterns used in verse to achieve opposite effects: euphony is pleasing and harmonious; cacophony is harsh and discordant. Euphony is achieved through the use of vowel sounds in words of generally serene imagery. Vowel sounds, which are more easily pronounced than

spurge, (genus Euphorbia), large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the family Euphorbiaceae, comprising at least 2,100 species. Many spurge species are important as ornamentals, as sources of drugs, or as agricultural weeds and invasive species. The genus takes its common name from a group

candelilla wax: …a coating on candelilla shrubs, Euphorbia antisyphilitica or Euphorbia cerifera, which grow wild in northern Mexico and Texas. Candelilla wax resembles carnauba wax but is less hard. Because it blends with other waxes and is less costly, candelilla wax is used chiefly as an extender in formulas containing carnauba, paraffin,…

spurge: Major species: …such as candelabrum tree (E. candelabrum) and E. nyikae from East Africa, as well as spined and angled succulent shrubs such as cow’s horn (E. grandicornis) from southern Africa and mottled spurge (E. lactea) from the East Indies, both of which are grown as hedges in areas with a…

candelilla wax: …candelilla shrubs, Euphorbia antisyphilitica or Euphorbia cerifera, which grow wild in northern Mexico and Texas. Candelilla wax resembles carnauba wax but is less hard. Because it blends with other waxes and is less costly, candelilla wax is used chiefly as an extender in formulas containing carnauba, paraffin, and other waxes.…

spurge: Major species: …with golden bracts in spring; Mediterranean spurge (E. characias, subspecies wulfenii), from Europe, 0.9 to 1.2 metres (3 to 4 feet) tall with greenish yellow heads on bluish foliage; cushion spurge (E. epithymoides), from Europe, a 30.5-cm (12-inch) globe of gold to chartreuse that blooms in spring; and E. griffithii,…

spurge: Major species: Important as weeds are flowering spurge (E. corollata), of the middle and eastern United States; the leafy spurge (E. escula), naturalized from Europe in the northern United States and adjacent Canada; spotted spurge (E. maculata); prostrate spurge and the related European petty spurge (E. peplus); and sun spurge (E.…

spurge: Major species: …ornamentals of temperate climes include: cypress spurge (E. cyparissias), from Europe, a globe-shaped plant with needlelike foliage that is covered with golden bracts in spring; Mediterranean spurge (E. characias, subspecies wulfenii), from Europe, 0.9 to 1.2 metres (3 to 4 feet) tall with greenish yellow heads on bluish foliage; cushion…

spurge: Major species: …yellow heads on bluish foliage; cushion spurge (E. epithymoides), from Europe, a 30.5-cm (12-inch) globe of gold to chartreuse that blooms in spring; and E. griffithii, from the Himalayas, the fireglow variety of which has fire-orange heads in early summer.

spurge: Major species: …and eastern United States; the leafy spurge (E. escula), naturalized from Europe in the northern United States and adjacent Canada; spotted spurge (E. maculata); prostrate spurge and the related European petty spurge (E. peplus); and sun spurge (E. helioscopia). The weedy North American prostrate spurge (E. supine) is commonly found…

spurge: Major species: The scarlet plume (E. fulgens), from Mexico, a 90-cm- (3-foot-) tall shrub with slender stems and scarlet bract clusters, is sometimes grown as a pot plant and in mild-winter areas as a garden shrub.

spurge: Major species: …such as cow’s horn (E. grandicornis) from southern Africa and mottled spurge (E. lactea) from the East Indies, both of which are grown as hedges in areas with a mild climate.

spurge: Major species: …that blooms in spring; and E. griffithii, from the Himalayas, the fireglow variety of which has fire-orange heads in early summer.

spurge: Major species: peplus); and sun spurge (E. helioscopia). The weedy North American prostrate spurge (E. supine) is commonly found growing out of sidewalk cracks.

spurge: Major species: …West; and many varieties of fire-on-the-mountain (E. heterophylla), from the eastern and central United States to Peru, with red-marked, poinsettia-like, green bracts and leaves of varied shape on 90-cm- (35-inch-) tall plants.

spurge: Major species: …Africa and mottled spurge (E. lactea) from the East Indies, both of which are grown as hedges in areas with a mild climate.

spurge: …tall European caper spurge (Euphorbia lathyris), seeds of which were once used for their laxative effect. The diverse worldwide genus includes many species in arid parts of Africa and India that resemble cactus plants.

spurge: Major species: …is native, is the shrub pascuita (E. leucocephala), 1.5 to 4 metres (5 to 13 feet) tall, which is covered much of the winter with a mist of small white bracts. In some varieties the leaves are dark red. The scarlet plume (E. fulgens), from Mexico, a 90-cm- (3-foot-) tall…

spurge: Major species: …United States and adjacent Canada; spotted spurge (E. maculata); prostrate spurge and the related European petty spurge (E. peplus); and sun spurge (E. helioscopia). The weedy North American prostrate spurge (E. supine) is commonly found growing out of sidewalk cracks.

snow-on-the-mountain, (Euphorbia marginata), succulent plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to the central plains of the United States. The plants, which grow to a height of 60 cm (2 feet), have long, oval, light green foliage, with white-margined leaves near the top, where several

crown of thorns, (Euphorbia milii), thorny plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to Madagascar. Crown of thorns is popular as a houseplant and is grown in warm climates as a garden shrub. Flowering is year-round but most plentiful in wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere. The common