Tropaeolum.] XIII. GERANIACEAE. 83 



NOETH Island : on the site of deserted gardens, &o. ; not infrequent, and persistent for years, 

 but not naturalised, although it produces seeds freely. Horseshoe-leaved geranmm. Deo. to March. 

 South Africa. 



*P. quercifolium, L'HSrit., Geran. t. 14. Suf&ruticose, much-branched, 

 1ft. -2ft. high, more or less hispid in all its parts. Leaves palmatifid to below the 

 middle, with romided sinuses ; the segnaents pinnatifid, lobed or toothed, obtuse 

 or subacute, crenate. Peduncles short, many-flowered. Pedicels short. Sepals 

 hispid. 



NORTH Island : in similar situations to the last, but does not produce seed so freely. Nov. 

 to March. South Africa. 



•TROPAEOLUM, Linn. 



Flowers irregular ; receptacle concave, produced backwards into a nectariferous 

 spur. Sepals 5, hypogynous. Petals 5. Stamens 8 in two series, perigynous ; fila- 

 ments free. Ovary 3-celled. Carpels 3, indehiscent, furrowed, 1-seeded, separating 

 when mature. Herbs, usually glabrous, with alternate simple or divided exstipulate 

 leaves, and climbing or prostrate stems. 



'■= T. majus, L., Sp. PI. 345. A glabrous subscandent or trailing herb. Stems 

 2ft.-6ft. long. Lsaves on long petioles, peltate, obscurely 5-lobed or angled. Flowers 

 solitary, axillary on long peduncles. Lower petals on long claws, fringed at the base. 

 Style long, 3-fid at the apex. 



NORTH Island : Auckland and New Plymouth : scarcely naturalised. Indian cress. Jan. to 

 March. Peru. 



3. OXALIS, Linn. 

 Flowers regular. Sepals 5, persistent, imbricate. Petals 5, contorted, 

 sometimes cohering. Stamens 10 in 3 series, all fertile, free or cohering at the 

 base. Ovary 5-lobed, 5-celled ; styles 5, with terminal capitate or lobed 

 stigmas ; ovules 1 or more in each cell. Capsule 5-celled, opening loculicidally, 

 the valves partially cohering and persistent. Seeds with au outer fleshy coat 

 that opens elastically ; endosperm fleshy ; emhryo sti'aight. Herbs, or rarely 

 small shrubs, with simple or much-branched stems, alternate or radical 3-f olio- 

 late or rarely pinnate leaves. Stipules usually minute or 0. Peduncles 

 axillary or radical, 1- or many-flowered. 



Species, about 240, of which 3 or 4 are widely distributed, the others being restricted to South 

 America and extra-tropical South Africa. Cleistogamous flowers are produced by some species, and 

 the flowers of others are dimorphic or trimorphio. 



Etym. From the Greek, in allusion to the acidity of many species. 



1. O. COrniculata, L., Sp. PI. 435. Perennial. Stems erect, pros- 

 trate, or decumbent, often matted, lin.— lOin. long. Leaves on long or short 

 petioles, 3-foliolate, glabrous or puhescent. Petioles lin.— lin. long. Leaflets 

 deeply obeordate. Stipules minute, adnate to the petiole or 0. Peduncles 

 axillary, 1- 2- 3- 6-flowered on refle.xed pedicels. Flowers iin.— iin. in diameter. 

 Sepals acute or ohtuse. Petals yellow, notched. Capsule oblong, linear or 

 ovate, with few or several seeds in each cell. — Hook, f., Fl. N.Z. i. 43, Fl. 

 Tasm. i. 59, Handbk. 38; Benth., Fl. Austr. i. 301. 0. ambigua, A. 

 Rich., Fl. N.Z. 296. O. flaccida, Banks and Sol., MSS. 



KERMADEG Islands ; NORTH and SOUTH Islands : common in lowlanl situations, culti- 

 vated and waste ground, &o. Extremely variable. 



