Radiola.] LINE^E. 79 



2. radi'ola, Gmelin. All-seed. Flax-seed. 

 " A minute annual, with filiform repeatedly-forked branches. Leaves 

 opposite, exstipulate. i^owers in corymbose cymes. Sepals 4, 2-4-toothed. 

 Petals 4, fugacious. Stamens 4, scarcely connate ; staminodes minute or 

 0. Disk glands inconspicuous. Ovary 4-celled ; cells divided into 2 ; 

 styles 4 ; ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule of 4 nearly 2-celled 2-seeded 

 divisible cocci. Seeds exalbuminous. — Distrib. Europe (excl. Central), N. 

 Africa. — Etym. radius, from the rayed ramification. 



R. linoi'des, Gmel. ; leaves ovate acute 3 -5 -nerved. B. Millegra'na, 

 Sm. 

 Gravelly and sandy damp places, uncommon, from the Orkneys to Cornwall ; 



Ireland; Channel Islands; fl. July-Aug. — Stem 1-4 in. Leaves T V^ in., 



sessile, rather succulent. Flowers axillary and in the forks, most minute ; 



peduncles short, erect. Sepals connate below, as long as the oblong 



petals. 



Order XIX. GERANIA'CEiE. 



Herbs, rarely shrubby. Leaves opposite or alternate, usually stipulate. 

 Inflorescence various ; flowers regular or irregular. Sepals 5 or fewer, 

 imbricate or valvate in bud. Petals 3-5, imbricate in bud. Stamens usually 

 5 in irregular flowers, and 10 in the regular, some often deformed. Disk 

 inconspicuous or glandular. Ovary 3-5-lobed, 3-5-celled, produced up- 

 wards into a styliferous beak, or with one or more terminal styles ; ovules 

 1-2 or many in each cell, anatropous, pendulous, raphe ventral. Fruit 

 septicidal or loculicidal, or separating into cocci. Seeds small, albumen 

 scanty or ; embryo various. — Distrib. Temp, and Trop. rarely Arctic 

 regions ; genera 10 ; species 750. — Affinities. With Eutacece and Linear. 

 — Properties. Tribe Geranieos are often astringent, aromatic, and abound 

 in volatile oil. Oxalidece abound in oxalic acid, and some have eatable 

 tubers. 

 Tribe I. GERANIE-ffi. Flowers regular. Sepals imbricate. Stamens 



alternating with glands. Capsule beaked, of several 1-seeded awned 



cocci, that separate elastically from the beak. 



Stamens 10, all antheriferous 1. Geranium. 



Stamens 5, staminodes 5 2. Erodium. 



Tribe II. OXALIDEiE. Flowers regular. Sepals imbricate. Glands 0. 



Capsule loculicidal ; cells 2- or more-seeded 3. Oxalis. 



Tribe III. BALSAM I NE-ffi. Flowers jirregular. Sepals coloured, 



posticous spurred. Stamens 5. Glands 0. Capsule loculicidal; cells 2- 



or more-seeded 4. Impatiens. 



l. GERA'nium, L. Crane's-bill. 



Herbs, rarely shrubs, nodes swollen. Leaves opposite or alternate, 

 usually cut or lobed, stipulate. Flowers regular, on 1-2-fld. axillary 

 peduncles. Sepals and petals 5, imbricate in bud. Stamens 10, ripening 



