GERANIUM LmnaiGen.Pl. Monade l pi iia D e cand ria.
Monogyna. Stigmata quinque. FruElus roftratus, pentacoccus.
Rail Syn. H er bæ p e n t a p e t a l æ v a s c u l if f .r æ .
GERANIUM cicutarium pedunculis rqultifloris, floribus pentandris, foliis pinnatis ineifisobtufis, caule ramofo;
Linnai Syfi. Vegetab'. p. 90. FI. Suecic. p. 243»
GERANIUM petiolis multifloris, caule procumbente, foliis duplicato-pinnatis, pinnulis acute ineifis.
Haller. hifi.No. 944. •-
GERANIUM cicutæ folio minus, et fupmum. Bautin. Pin. 319.
GERANIUM cicutæ folio inodorum album. Gerard emac. 945. 946.
GERANIUM mofehatum inodorum. Parkinfon. 1708. Rail Syn. 357* * Field Crane’s-bill without feent.
Hudfon. Fl. Angl. 262.
annua, albida, {implex, came tenera, cum | ROOT annual, whitifh, fimple, tender, the firing or
HT nervo intus duriore et tenaciore, paucis fibris| nerve- in the middle of it hard and tough, furinftructa,
crafliufcula, et in terrain alte de- | nifheil with {pw fibres, large for the fize of
feendens. | the plant, and penetrating deep into the earth.
■ CABLES ex eadem radice nafeuntur plures, crafliuf- $. STALKS:: feveralufually {pringfrom thefameroot,.thick-
|| cui}} teretes, hirfuti, procumbentes, ramofi, | i(h, round, hirfute, procumbent, and branched, of
variffi longifudinis pro ratione loci. 4 variouslengthsaccordingto their place of growth.
■ FOLIA pinnata, pinnis feflilibus pubefeentibus, pinnulis | LEAVES pinnated, the pinnae feffile and {lightly hairy,
H acute ineifis. f the pinnule foarply indented. .
■ STIPULiE ad exortum foliorum membranaceae, albidas, | STIPUL-^E at the bafe of the leaves membranous, whitilh,
m ■ ovato-aeutae, fuperiore integra,^. 1.; inferiore| ‘acutely oval, the upper moil in tire, Jig.fi.; the
in duas divifa, jig. 2. ? lowermoft generally divided into two, fig. 2.
ipEDUNCULl axillares, alterni, hirfuti, multiflori,| FOOT-STALKS of the flowers fpringing from the
E l longitudiue foliorum. f - bafe of the leaves, alternate, hirlute, the length
| of the leaves, and fupporting many flowers.
■ FLORES umbellati, rofei, a tribus ad Tex. | FLOWERS growing in an umbell, from three to fix,
I I >" 'fifi of a rofe-colour.
HlNVOLUCRUM membranaceum, multidentatum, Jig. | INVOLUCRUM membranous, with many teeth, fig. 3.;
3* Pedicelli bafi crafliores, deflexi, et demum f the fmall foot-ftalks of the flowers thickeft at
aflurgentes. ^ bottom,turningdown,andla{llyturningupward.
■ CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ovatis, ¥ CA L YX : a Perianthium of five leaves, the folioli
•ilriatis, hirfutis, concavis, mucronatis, fig. 4. | oval, ftriated, hirfute, concave, and termi-
| nating in a fine point# fig. 4.
■ COROLLA': Petal a quinque, fubovata, plana, fob-1 COROLLA: five Petals, fomewhat oval, flat, nearly
acqualaa, -roTea, bafi hirfuta, calyce longiora, | equal, of a rofe-colour, hairy at bottom, fomefig.
3. + what longer than the Calyx# fig. 5.
HsTAMINA • Fit. ament a decern, quorum quinque | STAMINA : ten Filaments, five of which want the
•alterna Antheris carent, fig. 7.: A ntherje fa- * Antherae; the Anthers of a deep purple
turate purpurafeentes, fig. 6. I colour, fig. 6.
■ NECTARIA : Glandulee quinque fufcas circa bafin ftami- $ NECTARIA : five brown Glands placed round the bale
num locantur, fig. 9. | of the Stamina, fig. 9.
^piSTILLUM : Germen quinquangulare, villofum;| PISTILLUM:GERMENquinquangularand villous,Style
Stylus fubulatus, fulcatus; Stigmata quin-I tapering and grooved; Stigmata five, of a
que, purpurafeentia, paululum reflexa,j%. 1 o, 11. 1 purple colour, bending a little back, fig. 10, 11.
■ PERICARPIUM nullum; Fructus pentacoccus, rof- f SEED-VESSEL none; Fruit as yet unripe, formed
tratus. | of five protuberating feeds, and terminating in
| a long beak.
■ SEMEN oblongum, lseve, fufeum, ariHatum, Jig. 14. | SEED oblong, fmooth, brown, inclofed within an
Arilla hirfuta'; Arista praslonga pilofa in- * Arillus, fig. 14. which is hirfute, and furflru&
a quae demum {piralis evadit, fig. 12, 13. | niftied with a long hairy A rista, finally be-
* coming fpiral, fig. 12, 13.
We have often had occafion to remark the very great difference in the appearance of plants arifing from foil and
Situation. Of this the young Botanift cannot be too well apprifed, nor too often informed: from a want of
attention to this circumftancé, the plant which we have now deferibed has been divided by different Authors
Bn to feveral fpecies.
I It feems worthy of notice, that the alterations which are produced in plants, from growing in a richer foil, are
■chiefly thofe of increafe of fize, and a multiplication of their parts ; the min u tig? of the fru&ification fuffer but
little change in their form by culture, hence they are often moft to be depended on, even in afeertaining different
[fpecies.
When the Geranium Cicutarium grows on a dry Tandy bank or wall’, as it very frequently does, it is quite diminutive.
When it occurs in a moifter and more luxuriant foil, the branches extend often a foot, or two in length, and
the whole plant becomes fo altered in its general appearance, as readily to deceive the inexperienced Tyro ; but the
long .pointed fruit which occurs in both, and from whence this plant has obtained the,name of Crane's-bill, readily
points them out to be the fame.
• The feeds of the Geraniums are, in geueral, enclofed within a membranous Arillus, which terminates in an Arifia or
Pail, of different lengths in different fpecies; in fome of them, when the feeds are become ripe, they detach themfelves
.from the receptacles to which they are affixed, with confiderable elafticity, and the feeds, being loofely contained
(Within the Arillus, fire thrown out to a confiderable diftance. In the prefent fpecies, the feeds are more clofely
mvefted by the Arillus, which does not feparate itfelf with fo much force, and as foon :as detached the Arifia
ibegins to be twilled up in a fpiral form. This may be very diflin&ly obferved, if we feparate a feed, with its Arillus,
|as I0011 as ripe, and place it in the palm of the hand, the tail of the Arillus immediately appears in motion, as if
endued with fome fenfitive property, and continues uninterruptedly this motion till it has aflumed the form of a
llcrew, vid.fig. 13. The feed, thus furnifoed with its twilled Arifta, is more liable to attach itfelf to any thing
which may come in contafl with it, by which means this plant is more univerfally difleminated.
| ThLe ^rernnitim Mofehatum has a great affinity with this fpecies : that plant however' has a ftrong fmell of muflc,
pvmch this entirely wants; and has alfo many other peculiarities, which we {hall not fail to particularize when it
'tomes to be treated of.