30 NATURAL HI. STORY OF PLANTS. 



entirely plants of Soiitli Africa. We have seen, however, that some 

 si^ecies belong to the East, to Northern Africa, and even to New 

 Zealand and Australia. There are in all regions species of Geranium, 

 Erodium, and Impat/ens, but they are especially plants from the 

 temperate regions of the old world.^ 



The properties^ of the Geraniacecv are tolerably varied, but they 

 belong to two types. Some are odoriferous and aromatic, as 

 Gcrauhiiii, Fclargouium ; others are acid or have a piquant sharpness 

 like the Crucifers : such are Tropccolum, Oxalis, and Floekca. All 

 are exciting, stimulating, warm, and consequently digestives, piu-- 

 gatives, aperients, antiscorbutics, etc. The essential volatile oil 

 which renders them fragrant is not very abundant in the vegetative 

 organs^ of the Geraniums and Erodiums of the temperate regions ; 

 but its presence is manifest in the perfumed leaves of E. moschatunij'^ 

 which are used in preparing exciting, digestive, diaphoretic 

 infusions, and in those of the Cranesbills (Fr. Bcc-de-gruc^) belonging 

 to Geranium (fig. 1, 12-14), and in G. rotundlfolia^' and pratenseP 

 There is often a certain proportion of tannin which causes them to 

 be employed as tonics, astringents, hemostatics, or vulneraries, 

 G. sanyuineum (fig. 8-11) columhinum, j^usillum, nodosum, carolinia- 

 num, mexieanum, Hernandesii, tuberosum, etc., and Erodium gruinum 

 and cicutarium.^ These properties are much stronger still in 

 Geranium maculatum^^ or Alum-root of the United States, which is 



1 The Erodiums are perhaps not natives of ^ Geranium Molertinimm L. Spec. 995. — DC 

 America ; there are certainly but few which Prodr. i. 664, n. 63. — Gben. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. 

 can claim to he so. There are probably but i. 307- — Cazin, PI. Medic. Indig. ed. 3, 477, t. 

 two American species of Impa'ieiis, while the 20. [Herbe a Robert, Jlcrhe a Vcsqiiiiiancie, Pied- 

 old world has about thirty. de-pigeon, Pied-de-colomle, Bec-de-eigognc, Patte- 



2 Enul. Eiichirid. 621, 025, 626, 628.— Guiii. d'aloiicttc, Pcrsil marij/goiiia.) 



Drog. Simpl. od. 6. iii. 567-672 —liiNDL. Fl. " L. Spec. 957.— Cav. Diss. iv. t. 93, fig. 2.— 



Med. 221, 222. — Eosenth. Sgjiops. Plant. Dia- Gken-. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. i. 305. 



2ihor. 888-892, 894-899. =■ L. Spec. 954.— Cat. Diss. iv. t. 87, fig. 1.— 



' This essence is secreted by the capitate D-elavn. Serb, dc I'amat. t. 118 Serha Geranii 



hairs which in the Pelargonium Itosnts may bo batrnehioidis off), 

 observed in unequal quantities on both surfaces ^ See Eosexth. op. cit. 888-890. 



of the leaves (and on other organs of vcgcta- ' L, Spec. 955. — Dill. Elth. t. 132, fig. 159. — 



tion). They are formed of several cellules Cav. Diss. iv. t. 86, fig. 2. — Bigel. Jmcr. Med. 



placed end to end, separated by transverse par- Sot. i. 84, t. 8. — DC. Prodr. i. 642, n. 38. — Mer. 



titions, and Iheir head is spherical or nearly so. ct Del. Diet. Mat. Med. iii. 368. — Lindl. Fl. 



* W. Spic. iii. 631.— DC. Prodr. i. 647, n. 23. Med. 221.— Bentl. in Pharm. Joiirn. ser. 2, v. 



— RosENTK. op. cit. 888 [Ucrba Moschateo v. 20. — Gum. op. cit. 570. — Rosenth. op. cit. 899 



Acus musctttec off.). [Vrowjloi). 



