[ 3 85 ]
G E R A N I U M pufillum.
Small-jlowered Cranejblll.
MO N A D E L P H I A Decandria.
Gen. Char. Style one. Petals 5, regular. Nectary
5 glands at the bafe o f the longer ftamina.
Fruit beaked, l'eparating into 5 feed-cafes, each
tipped with a long limple naked awn.
Spec. Char. Stalks two-flowered. Petals notched.
Leaves kidney-fhaped, palmate, cut. Seed-cafes
even, carinated, downy with eredt hairs. Seeds
fmooth.
Syn. Geranium pufillum. Linn. Sp .'Pl. 957. H udf.F l.
Jin. ed. 1. 2,66. With. Bot. Arr. 733. Relh.
Cant. 262. Cavan. Dijf. 202. t. 83. ƒ. 1. Dickf
Dr. PI. 78.
G. molle (3. Hudf. FI. An. ed. 2. 303.
G. parviflorum. Curt. Lond.fafc. 6. t.
G. malvaefolium. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 3. 603. Scop.
Carn. v. 2. 37.
G. humile. Cavan. Dijf. 202. t. 83. ƒ. 2.
G. columbinum humile, flore caeruleo minimo.
Raii Syn. 359. t. 16. f . 2.
C o m m o n in various parts of England on waile ground,
efpecially on a gravelly foil, though till very lately not well
diftinguifhed from G. molle and rotundifolium. It differs from
the former in having an even and downy, not wrinkled and
naked feed-coat, and from the latter in the downinefs of that
part being clofe-preffed, or at leaf! pointing upwards, not
fpreading, and the feeds fmooth, not dotted, as we long ago
obferved. See t. 157. The petals moreover fcarcely exceed the
calyx, and are notched, yet not fo deeply cloven as thofe of molle
and pyrenaicum, with which laft, though widely different in fize
and appearance, puftllum ha* more affinity in ftruhture than
with any others of this intricate tribe.
The root is annual. Stems proftrate, unlefs fupported by
other plants, branched, varying extremely in luxuriance. Hence
the fmall variety figured by Dillenius in Ray’s Synopfis has
been thought a diftinft fpecies, or the true ftate of the plant
while the larger was referred to molle. Leaves in (harp generally
linear fegments. Flowers fmall, pale purple. Calyx without
awns. Five of the ftamina only perfect. It flowers from June
to September, and in fenfible qualities agrees with molle.
We lament that we cannot follow our candid and judicious
friend Dr. Withering in the trivial name. The leaves are lefs
like thofe of Mallows than molt others. Puftllumt from the
minute flowers, is very expreffivc, nor is there any reafon to
change it to parviflorum.