GERANIACE^. 97 



1. GERANIUM, Diosicorides (Cranesbill). Stems with enlarged 

 joints. Leaves mostly opposite, palmately lobed ; stipules scarious. 

 Peduncles umbellately few-flowered, or l-flowered. Flowers regular ; 

 sepals and petals imbricate in bud. Fertile stamens 10. Carpels 5, 

 2-ovuled, 1-seeded ; styles persistent, coherent with the central column 

 until the carpel is ripe, then with it splitting away from it elastically 

 from below upwards, each forming a coil, not bearded within. 

 * Annuals ; Jiowers less than a half-inch broad. 



1. G. Caroliuiaimm, Linn. Sp. PI. ii. 682 (1753). Erect, much branched 

 from the base, 1 ft. high, the pubescent herbage light-colored : leaves 

 5-parted, the divisions cleft into many oblong-linear lobes : sepals awn- 

 pointed, as long as the pale flesh-colored emarginate petals : carpels 

 pubescent : seeds ovoid-oblong, blackish, minutely reticulate. — Common 

 in the Bay region ; flowering in the early spring, but disappearing with 

 the beginning of the dry season. 



2. G. DissECTUM, Linn. Amoen. Acad. iv. 282 (1759). Taller than the 

 last, the herbage of a darker green ; leaves cut into narrower and more 

 acute segments : fl. larger, bright red-purple, the petals more deeply 

 emarginate : seed roundish, more strongly reticulate. — Eather common ; 

 preferring moist and partially shaded situations ; continuing in flower 

 until the end of June. 



3. G. MOLLE, Linn. Sp. PL ii. 682 (1753). Low, slender, diff"use, the 

 branches a few inches to 1 ft. long, the herbage softly and somewhat 

 clammily villous : leaves 1 in. broad or more, cleft into oblong obtusish 

 lobes : sepals ovate-oblong, not awn-pointed : petals very small, rose- 

 color : carpels glabrous, transversely rugose : seed minutely striate. — 

 Plentiful northward, from northwestern California to British Columbia ; 

 well established about the U. S. Marine Hospital, San Francisco. 



4. G. RETROESUM, L'Her. in DC. Prodr. i. 645 (1824). Stouter than 

 any of the foregoing, light green, glabrous except a short stiffish 

 retrorsely appressed pubescence on the stems and growing parts : leaves 

 2 in. broad, 5-parted, the segments obtusely and not deeply 3-lobed : 

 petals 2 lines long, obtuse, purple, equalling the aristate sepals : carpels 

 slightly hairy : seeds oblong, minutely striate-reticulate. — Collected by 

 the author, on moist sandy soil near the salt marsh not far from Mastic 

 Station, Alameda, May, 1 887. Native of New Zealand. Possibly perennial. 



* * Perennials ; flowers about an inch broad. 



5. G. incisuni, Nutt. in T. & G. Fl. i. 206 (1838) : G. erianlhnm, Lindl. 

 Bot. Reg. xxviii. t. 52. excl. syn. Erect, 1 — 2 ft. high, villous and glandu- 

 lar-pubescent : leaves 2—5 in. broad, 3— 5-parted and laciniately cleft : 

 sepals villous and glandular ; petals red-purple, these (within) and the 



