GERAXIACE.'E. 207 



rated fields. Common in England ; more rare in Scotland, though 

 generally distrihuted. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual or Biennial. 

 Spring to Autumn. 



Root a thick fleshy tapering tap-root, from the crown of which 

 a rosette of radical leaves is produced in a circle in var. a, wither- 

 ing as the stems lengthen. Stems fleshy, at first very short, so 

 that the flowers appear to spring from the rosette of the root leaves, 

 but elongating as the season advances until they become from 6 inches 

 to 2 feet long. Radical leaves 2 inches to 1 foot long, oblong in out- 

 line ; the pinna? rather distant below, approximate towards the apex, 

 where a few of the terminal ones are united at the base. Stem 

 leaves alternate, often with smaller fasciculate ones opposite to 

 them. Peduncles opposite the leaves, and generally exceeding 

 them. Pedicels in an umbel, shorter than the peduncle, sur- 

 rounded by an involucie of scarious pointed bracts. Flowers pur- 

 plish-rose or white, f to -^ inch across. Sepals oblong, acute, 

 slightly awned, the awn terminated by 1 or 2 white bristles. 

 Petals oval-oblong, contracted into a very short claw, slightly 

 unequal, two of them often with a spot at the base. Filaments 

 purplish, persistent. The five fertile ones longer than the others. 

 Fruit li to 1} inch long, of which the carpel is nearly ^ inch, 

 fusiform-clavate, with short stiff hairs and a rather shallow circular 

 depression on each side of the base of the beak, the sides covered 

 with short stiff adpressed hairs. Beak twisting spirally in the half 

 next the carpel, clothed with rather long stiff" hairs on the inner side. 

 Seeds cylindrical-fusiform, dark brown, very finely shagreened, dull. 

 Plant more or less glandular-pubescent with longer spreading 

 articulated hairs. 



Yar. ^ has fewer root leaves and more slender divisions to the 

 stem leaves, more erect stems, and more numerous and larger 

 flowers; but the transition between the two seems to be gradual. 



Mons. Jordan divides E. cicutarium into a number of species. 

 I can, however, make out nothing from his descriptions ; and in the 

 absence of the authentic specimens, I am unable to say which of the 

 various forms he notices occur in this country. The only autlicntic 

 specimens I possess are of his E. coramixtum, which I refer to 

 var. a. Mr. Baker has sent me a specimen of E. pilosum (Jord), 

 named by Boreau, which appears to me also referable to var, a, 

 though smaller and less glandular. 



Common SlorL's Bill. 



French, Erodie a Feuilles cle Cigue. German, ScMerlingshlatti'iger EeihenchnahcL 



\ Several species of Erodium have been extolled as astringents, and used in country 

 Ipharmacy. The curious appearance and sfiiral nature of the covering of the seed in 

 ithis species is well worth observation. This siugular spiral spring to whicli th.e seeds 



