332 GERANIACE^. [part ii. 



ORDER L— GERANIACE^.— THE GERANIUM TRIBE. 



The order Geraniacese contains several ge- 

 nera of well-known plants, the most popular of 

 which are Pelargonium, Er odium, and Geranium^ 

 signifying Stork's-bill, Heron's-bill, and Crane's- 

 bill^ which differ very slightly from each other. 

 The greenhouse Geraniums, which are all either 

 natives of the Cape of Good Hope, or hybrids 

 raised in Europe from the species originally 

 imported, were, till lately, all included in the 

 genus Pelargonium ; but what were sections of 

 that genus have, by some botanists, been now 

 made separate genera. As probably, however, 

 this rage for giving new and different names to 

 divisions and subdivisions will not be generally 

 adopted, I will not trouble my readers with 

 any other distinctions than those between the 

 three leading genera ; and even these, I think 

 they will allow, appear very trifling. The calyx 

 of the Pelargonium is in five sepals, and two of 

 them end in a kind of spur ; which is, however, 

 not very perceptible, as it runs down the pedun- 

 cle or footstalk of the flower, and grows to it, 

 so as to seem only a part accidentally enlarged. 

 The corolla is in five petals, the upper two of 

 which are generally larger, and differently 

 marked to the others. Sometimes there are 

 only four, and sometimes there are six petals ; 



