WEEDS OF ARABLE LAND 



77 



a long " beak/' re- 

 sembling the bill of a 

 crane, hence the name 

 Crane's-bill (Geranium is 

 derived from the Greek 

 geranos, a crane). 



Dove's-foot Crane's- 

 bill (Geranium molle L.) 

 is softly hairy, prostrate 

 in habit, with branches 

 up to i foot long, leaves 

 somewhat round, and 

 seven- to nine-lobed, and 

 rose-purple or pink 

 flowers nearly J inch in 

 diameter. This species 

 chiefly occurs on light, 

 sandy, loamy and cal- 

 careous soils, and the 

 seeds are commonly 

 found as an impurity in 

 samples of white clover. 



Cut-leaved Crane's- 

 bill (G. dissectum L.) is a 

 hairy weed, with long, 

 slender, spreading, 

 branched stems ; roundish 

 leaves divided nearly to 

 the base into five to 

 seven lobes, which are 

 themselves segmented, 

 and bright red flowers 

 nearly J inch across. 

 This weed (Fig. 16) is 

 found in positions similar to G. mo/le, and its seeds 



FIG. 16.- Cut-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium 

 dissectum L.), x^, with flower nat. size. 



