THE GERANIUM FAMILY. 



Ill 



of five somewliat narrow segments, like fingers from 

 tlie palm of the hand. The flower is quite regular, 

 having five minutely pointed, or mucronate, sepals, five 

 white or rosy-tinted petals, ten stamens in two whorls. 

 There are five honey-glands on the receptacle, one in 

 front of each sepal. 



When a flower is regular it can always be visited 

 by insects from any point, so that the glands are 

 regularly situated ; but when 

 flowers are irregular, as we 

 shall see in Pelargo'nium, then 

 the honey is located at one 

 spot, wherever it is most 

 easily accessible. 



The pistil is composed of 

 five carpels, the long styles 

 of which form a "beak" in 

 the ripened stage, the ovaries 

 being very small, each con- 

 taining a single ovule (Fig. 

 41, L). 



When ripe the five carpels split off from the 

 coherent margins of the carpels from below upwards 

 (II.) ; and as the ovary bursts at the same time, the 

 elastically curling style throws the seed to a distance. 



Ero'dium (" Stork's Bill ").— This genus differs from 

 Gera'nium in having pinnately divided leaves (from 

 'pinna, a " feather "), as in Banun' cuius pinna' tus. It has 



FxG. il.— Gera'nium. I. Pistil with 

 honey-glands below the ovary. 

 II. Carpels splitting from the central 

 column of coherent margins. 



