GERANIUM FAMILY 



the second day, seeking nectar, they bring to the re- 

 ceptive stigmas the pollen they have brushed from a 

 younger flower. If the weather is warm and sunny this 

 process may be accomplished in less than two days; 

 if the weather is cold and the day gloomy the life of 

 the blossom is prolonged. It is clear that the blossom 

 has passed beyond the power of self-fertilization and 

 awaits the insect guests as long as it can. 



The mechanism by which the slender capsule dis- 

 tributes its seeds is most interesting. It is this cap- 

 sule that gives the common name to the plant, since it 

 bears a superficial resemblance to a crane's head with 

 its long bill. This resemblance w^as seen by Dioscorides 

 nearly two thousand years ago, and it is to him we are 

 indebted for the suggestion. This capsule belongs to 

 the class we call explosive fruits, those that throw their 

 seeds some distance from the parent plant. It is 

 worth while to notice how this is done by our wild- 

 wood Geranium. A central axis growls up from the 

 stalk through the styles, the capsule made up of five 

 parts grows out with it. When the seeds are ripe and 

 all is ready, suddenly the parts of the capsule give 

 way at the base and coil outward with force, ejecting 

 their seeds. All Wild Geraniums scatter their seeds 

 in this way. If one wishes to see this process go on at 

 leisure, gather a stem with ripe fruit early in the 

 morning, place it in a vase in the sun. It will soon 

 become dry, and eventually the fruit will snap and 

 crack, and as the carpels curl up the seeds will fly out. 



