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ERODIUM raulticaule.
Many-branched Heron’s-bill.
E. multicaule, pedunculis multifloris, foliis ternato-
pinnatifidis: segmentis oblongis acutis inciso-serra-
tis, petalis acutis calyce longioribus, caule ramo-
sissimo adscendente.
Erodium multicaule. Fischer MSS. Nobis in Whitley's
catalogue, p. 31. col. 1. Link enum. 2. p. 184.
Root perennial. Stems much branched, ascending,
thickly clothed with short white unequal reflexed hairs.
Leaves ternate or pinnatifid, hairy on each side, of a
dark green colour : leaflets sessile, oblong, acute, lower
ones deeply cut and sharply toothed, middle one pinnatifid,
sharply and unequally cut and toothed. Petioles
shorter than the leaf, flattened on the upper side
and convex on the lower, thickly covered with short
unequal hairs, as are the peduncles, pedicles, and calyx.
Stipules lanceolate, taper-pointed, membranaceous.
Peduncles many-flowered. Involucre of several short
lanceolate taper-pointed membranaceous bractes. Pedicles
unequal in length, the upper ones longest, upright
when in flower, afterwards declining. Calyx of
5 sepals, which are unequal, oblong, many-nerved, and
terminated with a rigid bluntish arista, that is nearly
as long as the sepal. Sepals all reflexed. Petals 5, of
a bright blue purple, elliptic, acute, the two upper ones
rather widest, all fringed at the base. Filaments 10,
united at the base, 5 bearing anthers. Style none.
Stigmas 5, sessile, purple, reflexed.
Our drawing of this plant was taken at the Nursery
of Messrs. Whitley, Brames, and Milne, at Fulham,