GERAXIACE^. 



li-om below upAvards, supported below by a long tongue which 

 separates from the style above the cell, and cm-ves or coils itself 

 spu-ally.i Thus one or two seeds are set at liberty, each at fii-st 

 enclosed in a cell, containing under theu" coats a not very thick and 



Gsraiiiiim Robcrtianurri, 



Fig. 13. Seed (^). 



Fig. 12. Dehiscent fruit. 



Fig. 14. Emtryo. 



fleshy albumen, often reduced to a membranous layer, and envelop- 

 ing an embryo whose radicle is incumbent to the folded- induplicate 

 or convoluted cotyledons.- The Geraniums are herbaceous plants 

 or more rarely suffrutescent, with branches knotted or articulated at 

 the insertion of the leaves. These are alternate or ojiposite,^ pctio- 

 late, accompanied by two lateral stipules with Hmb dentate digiti- 

 nerved or more rarely penninerved, lobed or dissected. The flowers* 

 arc united in various numbers,* in uniparous cymes, often taken for 

 short racemes or umbels, on a common peduncle, axillary or lateral 



five clianncJe furnished inwardly with hairs, the 

 channels terminating helow the stigmata. 

 These channels conduct to a cleft opening be- 

 tween the two ovules of the same cell, and show- 

 there the presence of a papillose tissue conduct- 

 ing to the micropyle, and which is doubtless an 

 ohlurator (.sec Flwn, 18G4, 101). 



' This tongue is very hygrometric, and in the 

 fruit at one period the c,ar|)els are clearly raised 

 (fig. 11). The inner surface and edges of the 

 tongues are often glabrous. 



^ The embryo is often green. There is often 

 only a very small quantity of mucous albumen 



between the folds. The seed is very often de- 

 formed, and more or less pressed out of shape by 

 the neighbouring seed, and the walls of the peri- 

 carp. 



' In the latter case thcj- are sometimes even 

 in false pairs, the youngest being drawn on level 

 or nearly so with the older one ; we may also 

 observe in thi.s genus false verticels of leaves. 



'' White, iiink, violet, bluish, or of a more or 

 less darli purple, sometimes coloured purple on 

 a white gro\md. 



' Often only one or two, the youngest being 

 luteral. 



