42 



N. Ord. GERANIACE.E. Lindl., Veg. K., p. 493; Le Maout & Dec., 



p. 306; Baill., Hist. PL, v. 

 Tribe G&raniea. 



Genus Geranium,* Linn. B. & H., Gen. i, p. 272 ; Baill., v, 

 p. 35. Species over 100, distributed through all the tempe- 

 rate parts of the world. 



42. Geranium maculatum, Linn., 8p. Plant., 1, P . 681 (1753). 



Alum-root. Wild Granesbill. (United States.) 

 Figures. Barton, i, 1. 13 ; Bigelow, i, t. 8 ; A. Gray, IU. Genera, 1. 150. 



Description. A perennial herb, with a rather thick, cylindrical, 

 branched, pale brown rhizome, giving off filiform rootlets. Stem 

 erect, about 1 1^ feet high, cylindrical, green, covered with 

 spreading or deflexed hairs, once or twice branched dicho- 

 tomously. Root-leaves large, on very long hairy petioles, pal- 

 mately veined, 5 or 6 inches wide, deeply cut into 5 (or 7) 

 digitate, spreading, narrowly obovate lobes, irregularly and 

 bluntly cut at the end ; stem-leaves opposite, shortly stalked, 

 with narrowly lanceolate, acuminate stipules at the base; all 

 bright green, slightly hairy or smooth above, paler and covered 

 with erect hairs below. Flowers in small terminal umbellate 

 cymes, slightly nodding when in flower, an inch or more across, 

 regular, peduncles usually 2 -flowered. Sepals 5, lanceolate, with 

 a long filiform point, green, hairy, persistent, 3-veined, imbricate. 

 Petals 5, convolute in the bud, broadly obovate or rounded, entire, 

 delicately veined, clear light purple, fugacious, claw very short, 

 bearded ; 5 small " glands " alternate with the petals on the 

 receptacle. Stamens 10, hypogynous, free ; filaments dilated at 

 the base, those opposite to the petals rather shorter ; anthers 

 oblong, versatile, 2 -celled, purple. Pistil of 5 carpels, placed 

 round and united to a long, beak-like prolongation of the 

 receptacle ; ovary deeply 5-lobed, 5-celled, with two ovules in 

 each cell; styles long, thickened and hairy in their lower part, 

 * Geranium, in Greek ytpdvtov, the classical name } from y'tpavoc, a crane. 



