292 xxxil. GERANiACEiE (oliver). [Geran'uim. 



deeply somewhat piniiatifidly incised, usually with linear-oblong, toothed or 

 entire, rather acute lobes, glabre^ceat ; petioles of the stem-leaves pubescent 

 or patent-pilose, usually exceeding the lamina. Peduncles from the lower 

 axils very short or obsolete, upper 1-2 in., 2-flowered. Pedicels from 2 or 3 

 lines in the lower flowers to |-1 in. Sepals glandular-pilose. Petals ex- 

 ceeding or even about half as long again as the sepals, entire, claw scarcely 

 ciliate. Carpels deeply pitted in transverse lines with irregular intervening 

 tubercles, glabrous, separating with or without a tail. Seeds minutely 

 punctate. 



Nile Ziand. Abyssinia, Schimper ! Billon and Petit ! Plowden ! (a form with nar- 

 row leaf-segments.) 



Var. suhlcevis. Fruit-carpels with faint transverse lines from the dorsal suture, punctate- 

 scabrid. 



Upper Ghxinea. Camaroons mountain, 7000 ft., Mann I 



3. ERODIUM, L'Her.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL i. 272. 



Same as Geranium, excepting that the antheriferous stamens are reduced 

 to 5, alternating with as many staminodia, and the leaves (in two of the 

 following species) pinnate. The petals are sometimes slightly unequal. 



A widely spread geuus, including a few common weeds of cultivation and waste ground. 

 Of the latter are two of the following, which occur in Abyssinia. 



Leaves pinnate. 



Leaflets pinnately toothed or serrate, ascending to 2-3 ft 1. J?, moschaturn. 



Leaflets pinuatipartite or &ub-2-pinnatifid, with acute segments. 



Smaller throughout than E. moschaturn 2. E. cicutarium. 



Leaves (radical) ovate-cordate, crenate, obscurely or distinctly 3-5-lobed. 



Low pubescent herb Z. E. malapoides. 



1. E. moschaturn, TFilld. ; DC. Frod. i. 647. Branches laxly papil- 

 lose-pilose, ascending, reaching 2-3 ft. Leaves pinnate ; leaflets 9-13, 

 ovate to ovate-oblong, serrate or pinnately toothed or acutely incised. " Fila- 

 ments glabrous with a tooth on each side of the dilated base." Pruit and 

 beak 1^2 in. long. 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia {Schweinf. et Asch. Enum.). 



Europe, North Africa, and elsewhere ; introduced into tropical countries and at the Cape. 

 Often faintly musk-scented. 



2. E. cicutarium, Z'^(?V. ; DC. Prod. i. 646. Stemless or usually 

 with decumbent or ascending weak branches, considerably smaller in all its 

 parts than E, moschaturn ; laxly, often glandular, pilose. Leaves pinnate; 

 leaflets pinuatipartite or sub-2-pinnatifid with linear or oblong acute seg- 

 ments. "Pilaments glabrous, not toothed." Fruit and beak 1-1^ in. long. 



Nile Land. Abyssinia, Schimper ! 



Europe, North Africa, Asia, etc. E. allotrichum, Steud. (in Schimp. PI. Abyss.), ap- 

 pears intermediate between the two above species, the differences between which it is difficult 

 to define. 



3. E. malapoides, TTilld. ; DC. Prod, i. 648. Stemless or with weak 



