56 THALaivi I FLORAE 



chiefly derived from South Africa, but have mostly been cultivated 

 out of all recognition of the original forms. There are very many 

 species of the Oxalis tribe in South Africa, which are chiefly notice- 

 able for the great beauty of their flowers and the oxalic acid con- 

 tained in their leaves. A few of them are cultivated as greenhouse 

 and window plants, the most popular being that known as the 

 Bermuda Buttercup, which has yellow flowers. The tubers of some 

 of them are edible. 



i. Geranium (Crane's-bill). Stamens 10, 5 of which are alter- 

 nately larger, and have glands at the base ; fruit beaked, separat- 

 ing into 5 carpels, each with a long awn, which is naked (not bearded 

 on the inside). (Name from the Greek, geranos, a crane, to the 

 beak of which bird the fruit bears a fancied resemblance.) 



2. Erodium (Stork's-bill). Stamens 10, 5 of which are imper- 

 fect ; glands 5, at the base of the perfect stamens ; fruit beaked, 

 separating into 5 carpels, each with a long spiral awn, which is 

 bearded on the inside. (Name from the Greek, erddion, a heron, 

 to the beak of which bird the fruit bears a fancied resemblance.) 



3. Oxalis (Wood Sorrel). Sepals 5, united below; petals 5, 

 often united below ; stamens united by the base of their filaments ; 

 styles 5 ; capsules 5 -celled, angular. (Name from the Greek, oxys, 

 sharp or acid, from the acidity of the leaves.) 



4. Impatiens (Balsam). The flowers of this genus are so irregu- 

 lar that it is almost impossible to define the characters without 

 employing terms which would be out of place in a work which pro- 

 fesses to give merely a popular description of British wild flowers. 

 The following description, however, of the only species really indi- 

 genous to Britain will serve to identify any others which are likely 

 to fall in the reader's way. An annual succulent plant, much 

 swollen at the joints, with a solitary branched stem, and egg-shaped, 

 deeply serrated leaves. From the axil of each of the upper leaves 

 proceeds a flower-stalk, taking a horizontal direction, and hiding 

 itself beneath the leaf. Each flower-stalk bears about four droop- 

 ing flowers, which expand one at a time, and last a very little while. 

 The calyx consists of two coloured, nearly round, concave sepals, 

 with an oblique point ; within these, on the side of the flower 

 nearest the stem, is inserted a horn-like petal or sepal for botanists 

 are undecided which to call it wide at the mouth, and curved down- 

 wards at the extremity ; on each side of this is a large wavy petal, 

 jnequally lobed, the largest lobe next the spur, the smaller being 

 easily separable, and having the appearance of a distinct petal. 

 Opposite the stem is a very broad, wavy petal, and at its base are 

 five stamens with short filaments united just beneath the anthers 

 into a ring, and enclosing a 5 -celled ovary. The sepals and petals 

 soon fall off, when the ovary enlarges to a 5-celled, 5-valved capsule, 

 externally resembling a cylindrical, strongly ribbed pod. As the 



