A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 



425. GERANIUM OR CRANE'S-BILL. 



{GERANIACEAE.) 



Herbs with divided or much cut foliage. Leaves basal and 

 on the stem, the latter opposite. Flowers solitary, or in clus- 

 ters, pink or red in the species here treated, sepals 5, petals 

 5. Fruit a dry pod, its divisions curiously long stalked at ma- 

 turity. (See Fig. 426.) All are known as geraniums. The 

 three following are distinguished thus: 



Flowers about i in. wide Wild Crane's-bill no. 426 



Flowers about ^ in. wide or less 



Flowers in compact clusters Carolina Crane's-bill no. 427 



Flowers only 2 together Herb Robert no. 428 



426. Wild Crane's-bill. Geranium nmculatum. One of our 

 commonest woodland wild flowers. Perennial, hairy, not usu- 

 ally over 18 in. tall. There are 2 opposite stem leaves, and 

 basal ones, all cleft, finger-fashion, almost to the center, the 

 lobes toothed towards the tip. Flowers in a loose open few- 

 flowered cluster. Petals rose-purple. IMaine and Ontario to 

 Georgia, and westward. May-June. Fig. 426. 



427. Carolina Crane^s-bill. Geranium carolinianum. Re- 

 sembling No. 426, but with more finely cut leaves, and pale 

 pink flowers, about one half the size, but in compact clusters. 

 In dry places. Ontario to Florida and westward. May-July. 



428. Herb Robert. Rohertiella Rohcrtiana. (Geraniutn Rob- 

 ertianum.) A weak sprawling rather sticky herb, the foliage 



