G E R 



G E R 



ihem clean from weeds. The roots continue many 

 vearSjbiit the stalks decay every autuniii ; tjiesanic 

 rootsnotfloweringtwo years loiicihcr, or seldom 

 oftener than even,' third. When they flower 

 strong, they have, however, a line appearance. 



The first is mostly propagated liv off-seis or 

 partina: the roots, and planting them where they 

 are to remain in the early anttnnn ; hut in order 

 to have the plants flower well, they must not 

 be often transplanted or parted. 



They arc also capable of being raised from 

 seeds managed as the first sorts. 



They all succeed the most perfectly in moist 

 loamy soils, where there is a degree of shade. 



All the sorts are useful as ornamental plants, 

 for the various clumjjs, borders, and quarters of 

 pleasure-grounds; those of low growth being 

 planted towards the fronts, and the latter kinds 

 more backward. 



GERANIUM, a genus containing plants of 

 the herbaceous perennial kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Monadclphia 

 Decandria, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Gminaies. 



The characters are : that the calyx is five- 

 leaved : leaflets ovate, acute, concave, perma- 

 nent : the corolla has five petals, obcordatc or 

 ovate, spreading, regular : nectary five honcved 

 glands, fastened to the base of the longer fila- 

 ments : the stamina consist often filaments, aw 1- 

 shaped, connected slightly at the base, spreading 

 at top, shorter than the corolla : anthers oblong, 

 versatile: the pistillum is a five-cornered gerrn, 

 beaked : style awl-shaped, longer than the sta- 

 mens, permanent: stigmas five, reflex : the pe- 

 ricarpium is a five-grained capsule, beaked, the 

 cells opening inwards, each havini; a simple naked 

 tail fixed to it : seeds solitarv, antl ovate-oblong. 



This extensive genus has been subdivided into 

 Erodtum with five, and Pelargonhnn with seven 

 fertile stamens. 



The species are : 1 . G. pIicBum, Dark-flowered 

 Crane's-Bill ; 2. G. mdonnn, Knotty Crane's- 

 Bill ; 3. G. striatum. Streaked Crane's-Bill ; 

 4. G. Siii-r/ci/m, Siberian Crane's-Bill ; 5. G. 

 sanguinciim, Bloodv Crane's-Bill : 6. G. viacro- 

 rfiizfim, Long-rooted Crane's-Bill. 



Other species mav be cultivated. 



The first has upright stems nearly cylindrical, 

 from eighteen inches to twn and even three feet in 

 height, below woollv.and having a few long shin- 

 ing hairs on them ; joints large, conimonlv tinged 

 with red : the leaves are soft, the younger ones 

 silky, ribbed ; the lower on long petioles in pairs, 

 the upper solitary; lobes mostly five, unecjually 

 toothed; the lateral ones lobed : the lov. er leaves 

 have freouently six or seven lobes, and the upper- 

 most only three or four. The flowers are of a 



blackish purple colour. It is a native of Switz- 

 erland, &cc. 



'i he second species is herbaceous, with smooth 

 shininir stems, swelled at the joints, bavina, knobs 

 like litlle bulbs at the origin of the branelics and 

 peduncles; wluneethe name: the flower-leavc« 

 are petioled, three-lobed, ovale-acuniinale, ser- 

 rate; the upper ones smaller, subsessile, the niid- 

 dle segment larger than the others. The flowers 

 are of a puqile colour. It is a native of Uan- 

 pbine, flowerinii in July and August. 



'I he third has a perennial root, sending up 

 many branching stalks a foot and half high : 

 the leaves are light green ; those on the lowtr 

 part of the stalk have five lobes, antl stand upon 

 long foot-stalks; those on the upptr part have 

 but^threc lobes, sit closer to the stalks, and arc 

 sharply indented on the edges; thev arc gashed, 

 and have a ferruginous or purplish brown spot at 

 their base : the peduncles are long and slender : 

 the petals obtuse, deeply indented at top, of a dull 

 white, finely reticulated with many purple veins. 

 It is a native of Italy, flowering in iVlay and .lunc. 



The fourth species has also a perennial root : 

 the stems are herbaceous, annual, difl'useiy dicho- 

 tomous, jointed, almost round and smooth. 

 At the divisions on each side is a lanceolate acu- 

 minate stipule : the leaves are opposite, five- 

 parted, divided into imcqualiy pinnalifid acute 

 segments : the pedimcles are longer than the 

 leaves, from the axils, with two bractes at top: 

 ihecalycine leaflets somewhat hirsute, with short 

 awns . the petals are pale purplish, without any 

 streaks, scarcely longer than the calyx, either 

 quite entire or slightly emarginate. It is a native 

 of Siberia, flowering in June. 



The fifth has a perennial, somewhat woody 

 root: the whole plant is set with white spread- 

 ing hairs : the stems a foot or more in height, 

 lax, spreading, branched, round, jointed, swell- 

 ing at thejomts: the leaves opposite, deeply 

 lobed and cut, sometimes seven-parted, the seg- 

 ments linear, the upper surface rough, the lower 

 hairy, the edge also is hairy and entire : the pe- 

 duncles axillary, much longer than the leaves, 

 hairy, with a joint and two'small bractes more 

 than half way down. Cal\eiuc leaflets oval, 

 with membranaceous reddish edges, and termi- 

 nated by a short red awn : the petals are obeor- 

 date, ve'rv large, pale red, u ith deeper veins, hairy 

 at the base. The whole plant frequently turns 

 red or pur|)le after flowering. It i> a native of 

 many parts of Europe, flowering most part of 

 the summer. 



There arc varieties, w ith short spreading stems 

 and smaller leaves and flowers, with larger leaves 

 deeply divided, and with varigaled or striped 

 flowers. 



■S I" 



