GERANIACE^E 303 



which bursts open when ripe on the slightest touch, 

 and turning as it were inside out, expels the seeds 

 for some distance. 



The best garden varieties differ in having ' double ' 

 flowers flowers in which there are numerous petals 

 and sepals, as with the case of garden roses. But 

 they have been obtained by cultivation and selection 

 from this original wild species I. BALSAMINA, L. 



On the hills are many species of IMPATIENS. 

 They have, as a rule, smooth rather translucent stems, 

 and swollen nodes (fig. 73). 



The garden Nasturtium (xROPCEOLUM) is another 

 well-known member of this family. In it too the 

 sepal is spurred. So it is in the garden Geranium 

 (PELARGONIUM) but here the spur of the posterior 

 sepal is adnate to (that is, grows welded with) the 

 pedicel and is therefore hardly visible except as a slight 

 thickening on one side of the latter. If the stalk be 

 cut across the hollow space of the spur can be easily 

 made out. 



The true GERANIUM has perfectly regular flowers 

 (without spur) and does not occur wild on the plains 

 of South India, but one species G. NEPALENSE, Sw., 

 grows on the hills. 



CHARACTERS OF THE GERANIACEJ2 



The GERANIACE^E consist mostly of herbs, with 

 alternate stipulate leaves, simple, or compound, or 

 deeply cut, and often hairy. 



All the parts of the flowers are in five's, five sepals, 

 five petals, five outer stamens, five inner stamens, five 

 cells to the ovary (five styles). 



