GERANIACE2E. 2!) 



convex receptacle. Carpels united into an ovary with cells 2-oo - 

 ovulate, oppositipetalous. Fruit capsular, loculicidal, or fleshy. — 

 3 (or 4) genera. 



We thus see that the most important characters for distinguishing 

 the series or genera are drawn from the shape of the receptacle, 

 the regular or irregular form of the flowers, the number of the 

 stamens, the situation of the carpels with respect to the pieces of 

 the perianth, their independence, or union, the organisation of the 

 fruit, and the mode of dehiscence, the number and dii'ection of the 

 ovules and seeds. The other characters, which vary in the difterent 

 genera, are : the mode of prtefloration of the calyx, the presence or 

 absence of petals, the number of fertile and sterile stamens, that of 

 the ovary cells, the consistence of the pericarp, and the shape of the 

 embryo. 



It is in these characters we must find the closest affinities of 

 the Geraniacece. On one side, by the Biebersieinia, they are nearly 

 allied to the Biitacece and Oclmacccv, scarcely distinguished among 

 the former from the Suriancce having two ovules in each carpel,' 

 and the Zyyophi/llecp^ having generally staminal filaments free and 

 furnished with a basilar interior scale, like those of Quassiece, a 

 fruit with a diff'erent dehiscence and a lateral swollen inflorescence. 

 On the other hand the Geraniacccc are allied to the Linacca', from 

 which we see they are scarcely separated in an entirely artificial 

 manner. 



The six hundred species or so- contained in this group are 

 distributed so that there are about a sixth part in America. The 

 other five-sixths belong to the old world.^ All the Balbisieiv^ some 

 dozen in number, are natives of South America. It is the same with 

 the Nasturtiums, Floerkea^ and IL/pseocharis. On the contrary, 

 Avcrrhou, JJapania, and Biehcrstcinia (except one) are Asiatic. 

 Monsonia is Asiatic, and especially African. Pelurrjonium is almost 



Gcii. 1171, Ord. 2ol. — Oxalidaccie Lixdl. Introd. Geraniums which have followed man in certain 



ed. 2, 140; Fej. JTihi/;/. 438, Ord. 185. parts of America, especially O. Robertiamim 



' Voy. Adansonia, x. 317, 360. ('''oy. A. DC. Oingr. Bot. 720). Certain species 



- Those of Pclarijtmium and Oxalis are often of Imjiatiena, as I. fulva, natives of America, 



badly defined and will he douhtless further have been naturalised in Europe. The European 



reduced ; hence the difficulty of fixing the exact Oj-tf/i.v with yellow flowers, Hko 0. cunvcnUita 



number. and slricia, exist for similar reasons in both 



■' There arc some common species of European worlds (A. DC. up. cil. G29, 660). 



