40 XXVIII. OERANIACEyE. 



Divaricatoly-branclied, Uosiiy or succulent, rigid shrubs, armed with 

 spines formed from persistent and hardened petioles. Leaves obovate or 

 obcordate, entire or crenate. Peduncles 1-tlowered. — 3 species: in the 

 Korthern, North- Western, and North-Eastern districts. 



4. GERANIUM, Linn. 



Sepals equal at base. Petals spreading; equally. Stamens 

 10, all perfect, the alternate longer. Glands at the base of 

 the longer stamens. — Fl. Cap. i. p. 257. 



A cosmopolitan genus. — 5 Cape species, all slightly sufFruticose. Slender 

 perennials, with palmately-lobcd or cut and multifid, long-petioled leaves. 

 Peduncles 1-2-flowered, opposite the leaves or ui the forks of the branches. 



5. ERODICTM, L'Her. 



Sepals equal at base. Petals spreading equally. Stamens 

 5, perfect, bearing anthers ; 5 sterile, subulate or obsolete. 

 Glands at the base of the sterile stamens. — Fl. Cap. i. p. 259. 



Herbs, rarely undershrubs. Leaves simple, either pinnatipartite, pinna- 

 tifid, cut or digitately parted. Peduncles mostly urabellately several- 

 tiowered. — 5 Cape species, of which 2 are endemic, 3 probably of European 

 origin. 



6. PELARGONIUM, L'Her. 



Calyx 5-parted, the upper segment produced at base into a 

 slender nectariferous tube, which is decurrent along the 

 pedicel and adnate to it. Petals 5, rarely but 4 or 2, more or 

 less unequal. Filaments 10, unequal, monadelphous ; 2-7 

 bearing anthers, the rest abortive. 



A large genus, chiefly South Afi-ican. — About 163 Cape species, distri- 

 buted under the followhig sections : — 



1. HoAEEA. Stemless, with tuberous roots. Petals 5 or 4. 



2. Seymoubia. Stemless, with tuberous roots. Petals 2. 



3. PoLYACTiuM. Caulescent, with tuberous roots. Leaves lobed or 

 phniatipartite. Umbels many-flowered. Petals subequal, obovate, entire 

 or multifid. 



4. Otidia. Stem succulent and knobby. Leaves fleshy, pinnately or 

 bipinnately cut. Petals subequal, the upper eared at base. 



5. LiGULABiA. Stem either succulent or slender and branching. Leaves 

 rarely entire, mostly much cut or pinnatisect. Petals rather unequal, spa- 

 thulate, the upper tapering at base. 



6. Jenkinsonia. Shrubby or succulent. Leaves palmately-nerved or 

 lobed. Two upper petals on long claws, very much larger than the lower. 

 Stamens 7. 



7. Myrrhidium. Slender, suffruticose or annual. Leaves pinnatisect. 

 Petals 4 (rarely 5), two upper largest. Calyx segments membranous, 

 strongly ribbed and mucronate or taper-pointed. 



8. Peristera. Herbaceous, diliuse, annual or perennial. Leaves 

 lobed or pinnatifid. Flowers minute. Petals scarcely longer than the 

 calyx. (Habit of Geranium or Erodium.) 



9. Campvlia. Stem short, subsimple. Leaves on long petioles, undi- 

 vided, entire or toothed. Stipules membranous. Flowers on long pedicels. 



