wild both in Europe and in the United States, is popularly used for 

 fever, hemorrhage, jaundice, and as a gargle. This solution is pre- 

 pared by boiling the herbage. 



Geraniums are readily recognized by their distinctive odor when 

 the leaves are crushed, and by their peculiar fruiting structure which 

 resembles a Maypole. Each section (carpel) of the five-lobed seed- 

 pod (capsule) separates elastically at maturity from the base to the 

 beaked apex as it gradually curls upwards and outwards, thus ex- 

 pelling its solitary seed from the pouchlike covering which remains 

 attached to each carpel strip. The flowers open from late spring 

 until mid-to-late summer. The time of blossoming varies with the 

 elevation, beginning earliest at the lower elevations. The flowers 

 are borne either singly or in loose, flat or somewhat rounded clusters, 

 and vary in color from deep purple to violet, pink and almost white, 

 the five petals commonly being marked by pink or purplish lines. 



The various species differ considerably in habit of growth. The 

 stems occur singly or there may be several from the base; in some 

 species they are erect, varying from 4 to 36 inches in height ; in other 

 species the stems extend along the ground with only the growing tip 

 erect, or are produced in large tufts. The perennial species often 

 develop a stout, vertical, woody root crown which may be branched 

 or unbranched. The leaves may be either basal, arising directly from 

 the root crown or may be placed opposite each other at the swollen 

 joints of the plant stem. The leaves of geranium are parted some- 

 what like a human hand, being often confused early in the season 

 with those of larkspurs and monkshoods. In addition to their pe- 

 culiar odor and fruit, already referred to, geraniums are also readily 

 distinguished by the two small leaflike outgrowths (stipules) aris- 

 ing from the base of the leafstalks where they join the stem. Lark- 

 spurs and monkshoods do not have stipules, and their leaves are al- 

 ternate on the stem. The stems, leaves, leafstalks, flower stalks, and 

 portions of the inflorescence of geraniums are usually provided with 

 simple, often sticky hairs. 



