374 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



46. GERAK'IACEAE. Geranium Family. 



1. GERANIUM L. 



Herbs with opposite, deeply lobed leaves; petals 5; stamens 10; fruit of 5 long- 

 beaked 1-seeded carpels, these separating at maturity, their beaks recoiling.— The 

 cultivated geraniums do not belong to this genus but to a closely related one, 

 Pelargonium; they are natives of southern Africa. 



Petalsabout as long as the sepals, pink; plants annual or biennial . . 1. G. bicknellii. 

 Petals much longer than the sepals, white or purple; plants perennial. 



Petals white; plants slender, not viscid -hairy 2. G. richardsonii. 



Petals pinkish purple; plants stout, covered with very sticky hairs. 



3. G. viscosissimum. 



1. Geranium bicknellii Britton. Crane's-bill. Woods or thickets at low and 

 middle altitudes; scarce. B. C. and Wash, to Utah, N. Y., and N. S. — Plants 

 20 to 50 cm. high, often much branched, finely hairy; flowers few, small and 

 inconspicuous. 



This species has the appearance of being an introduced plant, for it is usually found 

 in waste places or along trails. 



2. Geranium richardsonii Fisch. & Trautv. W'hite geranium. Frequent on the 

 east slope at low altitudes, usually in aspen thickets. B. C. to Calif., N. Mex., and 

 S. Dak. — Plants 30 to 60 cm. high, more or less hairy; petals 15 to 20 mm. long. 



The flowers are not conspicuous. 



3. Geranium viscosissimum Fisch. & Mey. Purple geranium. Common on the 

 east slope at low altitudes, chiefly in woods or thickets. B. C. to Calif., Colo., and 

 S. Dak. — Plants 20 to 60 cm. high, very viscid; petals about 2 cm. long. 



A handsome plant when in full flower. In late summer the leaves are beauti- 

 fully colored with red. 



47. LINACEAE. Flax Family. 



1. LINUM L. 



Glabrous erect annuals or perennials; leaves alternate, entire, sessile; flowers 

 large, blue, in racemes or panicles; petals 5; stamens 5; fruit a 5-celled capsule. 

 Plants annual; inner sepals with short hairs on the margins . . 1. L. usitatissimum. 

 Plants perennial; sepals without hairs 2. L. lewisii. 



1. Linum usitatissimum L. Flax. A few plants found along the railroad at the 

 east entrance. Native of Eur.; cultivated and frequently escaping. — Stems 20 to 80 

 cm. high; leaves lance-linear, 3-nerved; petals 1 to 1.5 cm. long. 



2. Linum lewisii Pursh. Wild flax. Frequent in open places, usually at low 

 altitudes, but sometimes found above timber line. Alaska to Calif., Mex., and 

 Nebr. — Stems 20 to 60 cm. high, branched from the base, pale green; leaves linear, 

 1 to 2 cm-, long; petals 1.5 to 2 cm. long. 



A very showy plant with beautiful blue flowers. The petals usually fall when 

 the flowers are picked. Wild flax belongs properly in the prairie region but, like 

 80 many other prairie plants, it is found occasionally above timber line, as at Cracker 

 Lake. 



48. EUPHOPtBIACEAE. Spurge Family. 



1. EUPHORBIA L. 



1. Euphorbia glyptosperma Engelm. Creeping spurge. Dry soil about Belton; 

 apparently introduced. B. C to Mex., Mo., and Ont. (Chamaesyce glyptosperma 

 Small.) — Prostrate annual, glabrous or nearly so; leaves opposite, oblong, 4 to 12 mm. 



