196 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



This fine species bears considerable resemblance to G. sylva- 

 •ticiim ; but it is a larger plant, being from 15 iuclics to nearly 4 feet 

 liigli. The leaves are larger, but with the segments narrower, 

 and consequently not generally contiguous ; their margins are more 

 deeply divided, so that what are mei'ely large serratui-es in G. sylva- 

 ticum are represented by lobes in G. pratense. The flowers are con- 

 siderably larger, from IJ to 1^ inch aci-oss ; the petals broader, 

 purplish-blue veined with reddish purple, though occasionally, like 

 those of most of the genus, Avhite. The sepals are larger, more 

 oblong, and with longer awns at the apex. The stamens do not 

 taper gradually from the base to the apex, but are much dilated 

 at the bottom. The fruit is longer, often 1^ inch long. The seeds 

 have distinct pits on their surface, instead of cells formed by the 

 intersection of raised lines. The hairs on the stem and veins of tlie 

 leaves beneath are shorter, closer, and more reflexed. The upper 

 part of tlic stem, peduncles and veins of the sepals are more thickly 

 clothed with gland-tipped hairs. 



23lue Meadow Crane's Bill. 



Freucb, Geranium des Pres. German, Wiesen Kranichschiahel. 



SPECIES VI.— GERANIUM P YRE N AICUM. Linn. 

 Plate CCXCVIII. 

 Eeich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Geran. Tab. CXCII. Fig. 4881. 



Tap-root permanent. Rootstock vertical, forming a continua- 

 tion of the tap-root, very short, thick, scaly, many-headed. Stems 

 erect or ascending, often decumbent at the base, dichotomously 

 branched above, with scattered hairs. Radical leaves on long stalks, 

 reniform-roundish, 7-cleft, with the segments contiguous, oblong- 

 wedgeshaped, truncate and irregularly 3-cut at the apex, deeply 

 crenate, with the central crenature somewhat obtuse ; upper leaves 

 resembling the radical ones, but approaching to semicircular- 

 reniform in outline, with the segments narrower and having only 

 3 small blunt or pointed lobes at the apex. Flowers very numerous, 

 in an irregular dichotomous cyme, the branches of which are race- 

 mose. Peduncles in the forks of the stem and axils of the leaves, 

 2-flowered. Bracts strapshaped-lanccolate. Petals twice as long 

 as the sepals, wedgeshaped-obovate, obcordate at the apex, ciliated 

 above the claw. Pilaments ciliated at the base. Carpels downy, 

 smooth. Seeds smooth. 



On pastures and roadsides. Not uncommon, but probably intro- 

 duced in many of the localities, especially in those in the North 

 of England and Scotland. Mr. Baker considers it undoubtedlv 



