BALSAMINACE^. 65 



2. ERODIUM. L'HeriL— Heron' s-hi\l 



(From the Greek cpo)6ios, a heron ; the fruit resembling the head and beak of 

 that bird.) 



Sepals 5, equal, regular. Petals 5, mostly equal. Stamens 

 10, the 5 outer ones (opposite the petals) shorter and sterile; 

 the perfect ones with a nectariferous gland at the base. Styles 

 persistent, bearded on the inside, at length spirally twisted. 



E. cicutariuvi Smith : stem prostrate or diffuse, hairy ; leaves pinnately 

 divided ; segments sessile, pinnatifid, incised or acute ; peduncles several 

 flowered ; petals unequal. Geranium cicutaritim Linn. 



Gravelly shore of Oneida Lake, N. Y. ; abundant. W. to Oregon and Cali- 

 fornia. May, June. Q.— Leaves 2 — 4 inches long, oblong, with numerous pin- 

 natifid lobes. Flowers as large as those of Geranium pusillum. Introduced ? 



Hemlock-leaved Heron's-bill. 



Order XXIX. BALSAMINACE^.— Balsams. 



Sepals 5, irregular, deciduous; the two upper commonly 

 united into one, the lower spurred. Petals 4, hypogynous, 

 united in pairs, so that apparently there are only 2 petals. 

 Stamens 5 ; filaments subulate. Ovary 5 -celled ; stigma sessile, 

 more or less 5-lobed. Fruit capsular, with 5 elastic valves 

 and 5 cells. Seeds solitary or numerous, without albumen. — 

 Succulent herbaceous plants. Leaves simple, without stipules. 



IMPATIENS. Linn.— Balsam. 

 (In allusion to the bursting of the seed-vessels by the slightest touch.) 

 Sepals 5, the lower one spurred. Corolla 4-petalled, in-egu- 

 lar; the two inner petals unequally bilobed. Stigmas 5, united. 

 Capsule prismatic-terete, elongated, 5-valved, opening elas- 

 tically. 



1. 7. pallida NutL: peduncles solitary 2— 5-flowered; leaves oblong- 

 ovate, on short petioles, coarsely and obtusely serrate, the teeth mucronate ; 

 lower sepal dilated, obtusely conic, shorter than the petals, with a very 

 short recurved spur; flowers sparingly punctate. 7. noli-tangere PursL 

 I. aurea Muhl. 



Damp grounds. Can. to Geor. W. to Miss. Aug. (T).—Stem 3—5 feet high, 

 much branched. Leaves obtuse at base, on petioles half an inch long, upper 

 ones sessile. Flowers gamboge -yellow, larger than the next. 



Snap- weed. Touch-me-not. 



2. I. fulva Nutt.: peduncles solitary, 2— 4-flowered; leaves rhombic- 

 ovate, somewhat obtuse, on longish petioles, coarsely serrate, the teeth mu- 

 cronate ; lower sepal acutely conic, with a long recurved spur ; flowers 

 with crowded spots. 7. bijlora Pursh. I. noli-tangere, var. Mich. I. ma^ 

 culata Muhl. • 



