158 



FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS 



interesting flowers of this and an allied genus as essentially summer 

 bloomers. 



The first of tliese is the Round-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium 

 rotundifolium), which rather closely resembles the Dove's-foot 

 Crane's-bill, but is not nearly so plentiful. It is a downy plant, 

 growing from six to twelve inches high, and flowering in June and 

 July. The flowers are usually nearly half an inch across, of a pink 



colour ;']and the petals are not 

 notched. This species is repre- 

 sented on Plate III. Fig. 1. 



In dry pastures and on stony 

 wastes we may see the Bloody 

 Crane's-bill {Geranmm sangui- 

 neum), which, though not com- 

 mon, is very widely distributed 

 in Britain. It has a thick, woody 

 stock ; numerous more or less 

 decumbent stems, from one to 

 two feet long, clothed with 

 spreading haks ; and round 

 leaves, divided quite to the base 

 into five or seven deeply-cut 

 segments. The flowers are soli- 

 tary, dark crimson (occasionally 

 pink) in colour, with haiiy sepals 

 terminating in fine points; 

 slightly notched petals about 

 twice as long as the sepals ; and 

 ten stamens, five of which are 

 This species flowers during July 



The Musk Mallow. 



larger, and glandular at the base. 

 and August. 



The Small-flowered Crane's-bill (G. pimllum) also resembles the 

 Dove s-foot Crane's-bill, but its flowers are usually smaller— about 

 a third of an inch in diameter— and of a pale hlac colour. The 

 stems are prostrate and do«ny, from six to eighteen inches long ; 

 and the leaves roundish and deeply lobed. The sepals terminate 

 m a sharp pomt, and the petals are notched. This is a very common 

 species, which flowers tlu'oughout the summer. 



British wild flowers of the Geranium family arc divided into 

 two groups, known popularly as the Crane's-bills and the Stork's- 

 biUs, the former constituting the genus Geranium, of which several 



