130 GERANIACE^. 



Seed solitary in each carpel, becoming half-anatropous by 

 the greater development of its upper portion, the raphe ven- 

 tral and occupying the lower half of the seed, which is 

 therefore peritropous-pendulous (not ascending), destitute of 

 albumen ; the testa smooth. Embryo filling the seed, con- 

 duplicate : COTYLEDONS narrowly oblong, sometimes (in E. 

 moschatum) pinnatifid, usually flexuose-convolute, incum- 

 bent on the descending radicle, which reaches the hilum. 



Herbs, rarely sufTrutescent plants ; with opposite stipulate 

 leaves (one usually smaller than the other), which are more 

 commonly pinnate and bipinnately parted or lobed, rarely 

 palmately lobed. Peduncles terminal, or becoming lateral 

 as if arising from the axil of the smaller leaf, umbellately 

 two - several-flowered, with an involucel of four bracts at 

 the origin of the pedicels. Flowers usually purple or white. 



Etymology. The name is taken from epwStdy, a heron or slorli, from a 

 fancied resemblance of the beak of the fruit to the long bill of those birds. 



Note. E. cicutarium, which sparingly occurs in the United States, was, 

 I doubt not, introduced from Europe ; and I suspect that it was likewise in- 

 troduced with cattle into the plains of California and Oregon, where it is 

 widely diffused, so as to be a characteristic plant. E. macrophyllum, Hook. 

 (Sf Am., appears to be truly indigenous in California, as is the related spe- 

 cies here figured in Texas. Its later flowers are apetalous ! 



PLATE 151. Erodium Texanum, n. sp. : — summit of a flowering plant, of 

 the natural size, from Texan specimens of Lindheimcr and Wright. 



1. Diagram of the flower (the petals in the specimen quincuncially imbri- 



cated in aestivation!), with a transverse section of the ovary. 



2. The stamens and pistil, glands, &c., magnified. 



3. A sterile filament, separated. 



4. An inside, and 5. an outside view of a perfect stamen, magnified. 



6. Pistil with the hypogynous glands, magnified. 



7. Vertical section of the same, showing the ovules. 



8. An ovule detached and more magnified. 



9. Fruit and calyx, the bearded styles separating from the beak, enlarged. 



10. One of the achenia-like carpels, with the base of the style, magnified. 



11. The same (with less of the style), more magnified, vertically divided 



through the seed and embryo. 



12. Seed extracted entire and magnified. 



13. Magnified embryo, cut across to show the convolute cotyledons, &c. 



