GER 



G E R 



ihem clean from weeds. The roots continue many 

 years, but the stalks decay every autumn ; the same 

 roots not flowering two years together, or seldom 

 oftener than every third. When they flower 

 Strong, they have, however, a fine appearance. 



The first is mostly propagated by off-sets or 

 parting the roots, and planting them where they 

 are to remain in the early autumn ; but in order 

 to have the plants flower well, they must not 

 be often transplanted or parted. 



They are also capable of being raised from 

 seeds managed as the first sorts. 



They all succeed the most perfectly in moist 

 loamy soils, where there is a degree of shade. 



All the sorts are useful as ornamental plants, 

 for the various clumps, borders, and quarters of 

 pleasure-grounds; those of low growth being 

 planted towards the fronts, and the latter kinds 

 more backward. 



GERANIUM, a genus containing plants of 

 the herbaceous perennial kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Monadelphia 

 Decandria, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Gntinales. 



The characters are: that the calyx is five- 

 leaved : leaflets ovate, acute, concave, perma- 

 nent: the corolla has five petals, obcordate or 

 ovate, spreading, regular : nectary five honeyed 

 glands, fastened to the base of the longer fila- 

 ments : the stamina consist often filaments, awl- 

 shaped, connected slightly at the base, spreading 

 at top, shorter than the corolla : anthers oblong, 

 versatile : the pistillum is a five-cornered germ, 

 beaked : style awl-shaped, longer than the sta- 

 mens, permanent: stigmas five, reflex : the pe- 

 ricarpium is a five-grained capsule, beaked, the 

 cells opening inwards, each having a simple naked 

 tail fixed to ii : seeds solitary, and ovate-oblong. 



This extensive genus has been subdivided into 

 Erodium with five, and Pelargonium with seven 

 fertile stamens. 



The species are : \.G. phcrum, Dark-flowered 

 Crane's-Bill ; 2. G. nodosum, Knotty Crane's- 

 Bill ; 3. G. striatum, Streaked Crane's-Bill ; 

 4. G. Siberlcam, Siberian Crane's-Bill ; 5. G. 

 sanguineum, Bloody Crane's-Bill ; C. G. vnacro- 

 rltizum, Long- rooted Crane's-Bill. 



Other species may be cultivated. 



The first has upright stems nearly cylindrical, 

 from eighteen inches to two and even three feet in 

 height, below woolly, and having a few long shin- 

 ing hairs on them ; joints large, commonly tinged 

 with red : the leaves are soft, the younger ones 

 silky, ribbed ; the lower on long petioles in pairs, 

 the upper solitary; lobes mostly five, unequally 

 toothed, the lateral ones lobed : the lower leaves 

 have frequently six or seven lobes, and the upper- 

 most only three or four. The flowers are of a 



blackish purple colour. It is a native of Switz- 

 erland, Sec. 



The second species is herbaceous, with smooth 

 shining stems, swelled at the joints, having knobs 

 like little bulbs at the origin of the branches and 

 peduncles; whence the name: the floweivleave* 

 are pctioled, thrce-lobed, ovate-acuminate, ser- 

 rate; the. upper ones smaller, subsessile, the mid- 

 dle segment larger than the others. The flowers 

 are of" a purple colour. It is a native of Dau- 

 pliine, flowering in July and August. 



The third has a perennial root, sending up 

 many branching stalks a foot and half high : 

 the leaves are light green ; those on the lower 

 part of the stalk have five lobes, and stand upon 

 long foot-stalks; those on the upper part have 

 but three lobes, sit closer to the stalks, and are 

 sharply indented on the edges; they are gashed, 

 and have a ferruginous or purplish brown spot at 

 their base: the peduncles are long and slender : 

 the petals obtuse, deeply indented at top, of adult 

 white, finely reticulated with many purple veins. 

 It is a native of Italy, flowering in May and June. 



The fourth species has also a perennial root : 

 the stems are herbaceous, annual, diffusely c'.icho- 

 tomous, jointed, almost round and smooth. 

 At the divisions on each side is a lanceolate acu- 

 minate stipule : the leaves are opposite, five- 

 parted, divided into unequally pinnatifid acute 

 segments : the peduncles are longer than the 

 leaves, from the axils, with two bractes at top : 

 thecalycine leaflets somewhat hirsute, with short 

 awns : the petals are pale purplish, without any 

 streaks, scarcely longer than the calyx, either 

 quite entire or slightly emarginate. It is a native. 

 of Siberia, flowering in June. 



The fifth has a perennial, somewhat woody- 

 root : the whole plant is set with white spread- 

 ing hairs : (lie stems a foot or more in height, 

 lax, spreading, branched, round, jointed, swell- 

 ing at the joints: the leaves opposite, deeply 

 lobed and cut, sometimes seven-parted, the seg- 

 ments linear, the upper surface rough, the lower 

 hairy, the edge also is hairy and entire : the pe- 

 duncles axilhry, much longer than the leaves, 

 hairy, with a joint and two small bractes more 

 than half way down. Calycine leaflets oval, 

 with membranaceous reddish edges, and termi- 

 nated by a short red awn : the petals are obcor- 

 date, very largej pale red, with deeper vein-, hairy 

 at I lie base. The whole plant frequently turns 

 red or purple after flowering. It is a native of 

 many parts of Europe, flowering most part of 

 the summer. 



There are varieties, with short spreading stems 

 and smaller leaves and flowers, with larger leaves 

 deeply divided, and with varigated or -striped 

 flowers. 



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