PELARGONIUM Laconise.
Lady Lacoris Storlc’s-bill.
P. Laconics, foliis reniformibus obsolete trilobis rotundatis
subundulatis rigide dentatis ciliatis utrinque hirsutis,
stipulis ovatis acutis, umbellis multifloris, tubo necta-
rifero calyce erecto paullo breviore.
Stem frutescent, erect, branched: branches thickly
clothed with spreading villous hairs, which are very unequal
in length. Leaves kidney-shaped, broader than long, flat
or a little undulate, rounded at the points, sometimes
slightly 3-lobed, toothed with large rigid teeth, fringed,
and clothed on both sides with short hairs, upper side of a
dark green, underneath rather paler, and strongly nerved,
each nerve triply-nerved, and branching. Petioles broadly
flattened on the upper side, and convex on the lower, vil-
losely hairy, as are the peduncles and calyx. Stipules
ovate, acute. Umbels 5 to 10-flowered. Involucre of 6
ovate, acute, villous bractes. Calyx 5-cleft, the segments
broadly lanceolate, taper-pointed, erect, densely villous. Nectariferous tube shorter than the calyx, flat on each
side, and gibbous at the base. Petals 5, the two upper
ones obovate, unequal sided, of a bright scarlet, with a
large velvetty patch in the centre, below which are numerous
dark lines, that spread nearly all over the petals,
strongly 2-nerved at the back, the nerves much branched ;
lower petals oblong, rounded, of a lighter colour, also
strongly 2-nerved at the back. Filaments 10, connected
at the base, 7 bearing anthers, which have always been
imperfect in our specimens. Germen densely tomentose. Style purple, hairy about three parts its length, the upper
part smooth. Stigmas 5, dark purple, reflexed.
u 2