30 NATURAL HISTOl/Y OF PLANTS. 



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

 sjDecies belong to the East, to Northern Africa, and even to New 

 Zealand and Australia. There are in all regions si^ecies of Geranium, 

 Erodmiji, and Imjuif/cus, but they are especially plants from the 

 temperate regions of the old world. ^ 



The properties" of the Gcraniaceœ are tolerably varied, but they 

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

 Geranium, Pelargonium ; others are acid or have a piquant sharpness 

 like the Crucifers : such are Tropœolum, Oxalis, and Flœkea. All 

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

 gatives, aperients, autiscorbutics, 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. moschatum,^ 

 which are used in preparing exciting, digestive, diaphoretic 

 infusions, and in those of the Crauesbills (Fr. Bcc-de-grue'') belonging 

 to Geranium (pg. 1, 12-14), and in G. rotund ijhliu'^' and prateuseJ 

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

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

 G. sanguineum (fig. 8-11) columMnum, jnisillum, nodosum, carolinia- 

 num, mexicanum, Hernandesii, tuherosum, etc., and Erodium gruinum 

 and cicutarium? These jiroperties are much stronger still in 

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



' The Erodiums are perhaps not natives of * Oeianium linbei'tiaiuim L. Spec. 995. — DC 



America ; there are certainly but few which Prodi: i. 664, n. 63. — Guen. ot GoDii. Fl. de Fr. 



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



two American species of Impa'ieiis, while the 20. [Ilerbe à Robert, Hcrbc à Vcsquiimiicic, Pied- 



old world has about thirty. dc-pir/coii, PIcd-de-eiilomhe, Bec-de-cigogne, Patte- 



2 Enul. Fiidiirid. 621, 62.5, 626, 628.— Gum. d'nlmictte, Persil mnriiir/ouia.) 



Droff. Simpl. éd. 6. iii. 567-572 —T-indl. Fl. " L. S/kjc. 957. — Cav. i>i.w. iv. t. 93, fig. 2.— 



•Med. 221, 222. — Rosenth. Sijiiopx. riant. Dia- Guen. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. i. 305. 



phor. 888-892, 894-899. ' L. Spec. 954.— Cav. i);,w. iv. t. 87, fig. 1.— 



3 This essence is secreted by the capitate Velavh. Merb. dc rnmal. t. llii Uerba Gtriiiiii 

 hairs which in the Pelargoiiiiim Eosats may be batrcichioidis off). 



observed in unequal quantities on both surfaces * See Rosexth. op. cit. 888-890. 



of the leaves (and ou other organs of vegeta- ' L. Spec. 955.— Dili.. Flth. t. 132, fig. 159. — 



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



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



titions, and their head is spherical or nearly so. et Del. Diet. Mat. Méd. iii. 368. — Linul. ^7. 



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



— Rosenth. op. cit. 888 {Ucrba Moschatœ v. 20. — Guib. op. cit. 570. — Rosenth. op. cit. 899 



Acus MUicatte off.). {Crotrjlot). 



