144 ALPINE PLANTS 
will also bloom in January and onward to the end of 
March. E. vagans and its varieties are summer flowering, 
and E. ciliaris, E. cineria, and others, take up the sequence 
in autumn and retain their beauty well into winter. 
ERoDIUM.—The members of this genus are closely 
allied to the herbaceous Geraniums, the similarity being 
quaintly symbolized in the English names of the two. 
The geranium is known as the Crane’s Bill, whilst the 
Erodium is the Heron’s Bill. There are vigorous, hardy, 
and very easily grown species in the family, and a few 
others that are dainty little gems with prettily cut foliage, 
ruddy stems and exquisitely veined flowers. These latter 
require rather better quarters than will suffice for the 
strong growers, peaty soil, and shelter from rough winds 
and scorching sun being their chief requirements. 
No fear need be entertained in regard to E. macradenium, 
or Manescavi, both of which are fairly large purple-flowered 
plants, or of pelargonifolium and trichomanefolium, which 
are white, marked with purplish red, for these will thrive 
even in poor hungry soil on a dry bank.” The daintier 
and choicer kinds include chamedryoides with pretty 
pink veined flowers, guttalum with white flowers veined 
with violet, and whitish silky-haired foliage, and chrysan- 
thum, a rarity with delicately made sulphur yellow blossoms. 
Macradenium and pelargonifolium exceed a foot in height, 
the others rarely reaching more than 6 inches. Erodiums 
seed freely, and the seeds should be sown in sandy com- 
post as soon as ripe. The plants should be put into per- 
manent positions at an early age and left undisturbed. 
It is possible to divide large clumps, but this method of 
