GERAKIACEJi. 



from below upwards, supported below by a long tongue which 

 separates from the style above the cell, and curves or coils itself 

 spirally. 1 Thus one or two seeds are set at liberty, each at fii'st 

 enclosed in a cell, containing under theii* coats a not very thick and 



0:raniinn liobcHia)iWH 



Fig. 13. Sued (a). 



Fig. 12. Dehiscent fruit. 



Fig. 14. Embryo. 



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 opposite,^ petio- 

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

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

 are united in various numbers,^ in uniparous cymes, often taken for 

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



five channels 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 

 obturator (sec Fhrn, 186i, 401). 



' This tongue is very hygTometric, and in the 

 fruit at one period the carpels 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 albimicn 



between the folds. The seed is very often de- 

 formed, and more or less pressed out of shape by 

 the neighbouring seed, aiid the walls of the peri- 

 carp. 



' In the latter case they are sometimes even 

 in false pairs, the youngest being drawn on level 

 or nearly so with the older one ; we may also 

 observe in this genus false verticels of leaves. 



■* White, i^ink, 'violet, bluish, or of a more or 

 less dark purple, sometimes coloured purple on 

 a white ground. 



* Often only one or two, the youngest being 

 lateral. 



