GERANIUM FAMILY. 95 



4. FLCERKEA, FALSE MERMAID. (For Flcerke, a German bot- 

 anist.) ® 



F. proserpinacoides, Willd. A small and insignificant plant ; leaf 

 segments o-5, lanceolate and entire, or rarely 2-3-cleft ; the axillary and 

 peduncled flower inconspicuous (in spring and summer), the oblong petals 

 shorter than the calyx and entire. Marshes and river banks, N. and W. 



5. dXALIS, WOOD SORREL. (Greek: sour, from the acid juice.) 

 An attractive genus of small herbs, with many cultivated species. 



* Peduncles l-flowered ; petals white, red, or variegated. 



O. Acetos^lla, Linn. True W. The leafstalks and l-flowered 

 scapes 2'-4' high from a creeping, scaly-toothed rootstock ; flower rather 

 large, white, with delicate reddish veins. Common in mossy woods N. 2/ 



0. varidbilis, Jacq. Is more hairy ; leaflets obovate and scarcely 

 notched, commonly crimson beneath, only 1' long ; scapes short, 3' ; petals 

 IV long, white, or pink-red with a yellowish base. Cape of Good Hope. 

 ' 0. versicolor, Linn. From small bulbs, sends up slender stems, 2'-3' 

 high ; leaflets almost linear, notched at the end ; petals 1' long, white or 

 tinged with rose, with bright, pink-red margins outside, so that the blos- 

 som is red when rolled up in the bud or closed in shade, but white above 

 when it opens in sunshine. Cape of Good Hope. 



0. flava, Linn. From a strong bulb, sends up to the surface a short 

 scaly stem, bearing thick flattish leafstalks and short scapes ; the leaflets 

 6-10 and linear; petals nearly 1' long, yellow, often edged with reddish. 



P P • * # Peduncles 2-x> -Jloioered. 



^Leaflets 4 or 7-10; flowers crimson to purplish; stemless, hairy. 21 



0. tetraphylla, Cav. Leaflets 4, obcordate, with a brownish blotch or 

 band when young. Mexico. O. Dkppki of gardens. 



0. lasidndra, Graham. Leaflets 7-10, oblanceolate, 3' long by 1' broad, 



obtuse and entire at apex ; scapes 9'-18' high, with a many-flowered 



umbel. Mexico. r ^ * o 



t- +- Leaflets o. 



■M. Flowers yellow. 



O. comicul^ta, Linn. Yellow W., Ladies' Sorhel. 1° high, pu- 

 bescent, with sharp, oppressed hairs ; stipules round or truncate, ciliate ; 

 peduncles 2-6-flowered ; pods long, erect. Rare eastward, indigenous 

 Mo. and S.W. ; but 



Var. strfcta, Sav., is extremely common ; stems erect, nearly smooth to 

 very villous ; leafy ; stipules 0. 



Var. RUBRA is a purple-leaved form in cultivation. 



O. recurva, Ell. Like the first variety of the preceding ; leaflets larger 

 (A'-l-V broad), usually with a brownish margin; flowers larger (6''-8" 

 long). Penn. to S. 111. and S. 



0. Ortgiesi, Regel. Stems purplish-red, erect, 1° high, rather fleshy, 

 becoming tough or woody below ; leaflets obovate, with 2-pointed lobes, 

 the notch broad, olive-green above, purple beneath ; flowers small, in 

 cymes on long axillarj- peduncles. Peru. 



0. Valdiviensis, Barn. Stem smooth, 1° high, branching at base ; 

 leaflets obcordate, the lobes very round ; petals deep yellow, with reddish 

 veins, especially outside. Chile. 



-r+ ++ Flowers violet, purple, or rose-red. 



O. viol^cea, Linn. Violet W. Leafstalks and slender scape from 

 a scaly bulb, the flowers several in an umbel, middle-sized, violet. 2/ 

 Common S., rarer N., in rocky or sandy soil. In common cultivation. 



