THE CRANE'S-BILL FAMILY. 329 



seedlings from Cottingtoni rarely come more double than that 

 variety." 



Large-flowered Varieties. Show or Stage Pelargoniums be- 

 long to another group, and are supposed to have sprung 

 from P. grandiflorum (P. hortulorum\ a Cape species intro- 

 duced by Masson in 1794. Normally it is a white-flowered 

 plant of loose habit, having a very long slender tube to the 

 calyx, and long petioles or stalks to its deeply-lobed leaves 

 (see Sweet's * Geraniaceae,' t. 29, or Andrews' ' Botanist's Re- 

 pository,' t. 12). Another lilac-purple-flowered Cape species, 

 P. cucullatum, also appears to have been one of the progeni- 

 tors of our show Pelargoniums, this plant having been intro- 

 duced by the Earl of Portland about 1690. Dr W. Harvey, 

 the late lamented and talented author of the ' Cape Flora,' 

 describes it as very commonly grown as a hedge-plant about 

 Cape Town, and he also considers it as one of the original 

 species whence our modern show varieties have sprung. It 

 is a little singular to note that in 1875 a double-flowered form 

 of the purple-lilac-flowered P. cucullatum made its appearance 

 at one of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society, its 

 owner having grown it in his window. This plant was first 

 exhibited by a Mr Woodward, of whom Mr W. Bull purchased 

 the plant for trade purposes. Semi-double varieties of P. 

 grandiflorum^ or show Pelargoniums, are now very popular; 

 but twenty or thirty years ago such forms were not sought after 

 so eagerly. In 1850 P. Willmore Sttrprise, a semi-double, 

 made its appearance, but appears to have died out unregarded 

 (see ' Gard. Chron.,' 1850, p. 575). Both Andrews' and Sweet's 

 figures describe some of the old Pelargoniums as species, but 

 their names were ignored by Dr Harvey ; and it is evident that 

 they are for the most part hybrids or cross-bred varieties. G. 

 angustum is described by Andrews as having been raised by Mr 

 Perry, nurseryman at Banbury, Oxfordshire, and was originally 

 sold by the raiser at a guinea a plant. It has coarse serrated 

 deep-green leaves and pink flowers, the upper petals striped 

 with dark red. G. pubesce?is of the same author is also de- 

 scribed by him as " the compound production of several differ- 

 ent species." It has its leaves and young growth copiously 

 clothed with soft downy or villose pubescence, the flowers being 

 lilac-pink, and veined with dark red on the two upper petals. 

 Some of the older varieties figured by Sweet may still be found 

 in the cottage windows in country places. 



The origin of the Fancy or small-flowered Show Pelargonium is 

 not very clearly defined ; but in course of a conversation on the 

 subject at the annual meeting of the Pelargonium Society 



