A NEW PLANT ADDED TO OUR 

 WILD FLORA 



By Albert A. Hansen. 



r^L-RING the past five years, the writer has noticed a pretty 

 J "" - ^ little blue-flowered plant making itself at home upon 

 the campus of the Pennsylvania State College. At first rather 

 scarce, it gradually increased, spreading thruout the town and 

 becoming abundant in waste places and along roadsides. 

 Recently it has extended its territory along the roadways out- 

 side the town proper. From the few scattered individuals of a 

 few years ago, the plant has now become one of the most pro- 

 lific members of the local flora. 



Upon investigation, the newcomer was found to be the 

 Siberian crane's-bill, known scientifically as Geranium sibiricum 

 and is a close relative of the common wild geranium or crane's- 

 bill (G. maculatum) . In general appearance, it is very sug- 

 gestive of the Herb Robert, (G. Robertianum). The Siberian 

 crane's-bill is usually a prostrate plant with three-parted leaves 

 somewhat resembling those of a buttercup. The flowers are 

 about a quarter of an inch in diameter, and possess five 

 bluish-purple or nearly white petals. The flowers occur rather 

 abundantly and present a handsome appearance. 



The fruit is extremely interesting; when ripe, the five parts 

 act like tiny sling shots. By dipping one of the nearly ripe 

 fruits into water and allowing it to dry, you may see how the 

 plant acts. When the fruit becomes thoroughly dry, each of 

 its five parts is released with a snapping noise like that of a tiny 

 gun, and the seeds often are thrown to considerable distances. 

 The sling-shot part of the fruit then curls into a small spiral, so 



