OERANIAOE^. 29 



convex receptacle. Carpels united into an orary with cells 2-oo - 

 ovulate, oppositipetalous. Fruit capsular, loculicidal, or fleshy. — 

 3 (or 4) genera. 



We thus see that the most important characters for distinguishing 

 the series or genera are drawn from the shape of the receptacle, 

 the regular or irregular form of the flowers, the number of the 

 stamens, the situation of the carpels with respect to the pieces of 

 the perianth, their independence, or union, the organisation of the 

 fruit, and the mode of dehiscence, the num.ber and direction of the 

 ovules and seeds. The other characters, which vary in the difiPerent 

 genera, are : the mode of prsefloration of the calyx, the presence or 

 absence of petals, the number of fertile and sterile stamens, that of 

 the ovary cells, the consistence of the pericarp, and the shape of the 

 embryo. 



It is ia these characters we must find the closest affinities of 

 the Geraniacece. On one side, by the Biebersteinia, they are nearly 

 allied to the Butacece and Ochnacece, scarcely distinguished among 

 the former from the Surianece having two ovules in each carpel,^ 

 and the Zygophyllece^ having generally staminal filaments free and 

 furnished with a basUar interior scale, Hke those of Quassteai, a 

 fruit with a different dehiscence and a lateral swollen inflorescence. 

 On the other hand the Geraniacece are allied to the Lmacece, from 

 which we see they are scarcely separated in an entirely artificial 

 manner. 



The six hundred species or so'' contained in this group are 

 distributed so that there are about a sixth part in America. The 

 other five-sixths belong to the old world.^ All the Balbmece, some 

 dozen in number, are natives of South America. It is the same with 

 the Nasturtiums, Floerkea, and Hypseocharis. On the contrary, 

 Averrhoa^ Dapania, and Biebersteinia (except one) are Asiatic. 

 Monsonia is Asiatic, and especially African. Pelargonium is almost 



Gen. 1171, Ord. 261. — Oxalidacece Lindl. Introd. Geraniums which have followed man in certain 



ed. 2, 140; Fc^. ifi«^(!'. 438, Ord. 185. parts of America, especially (?. Robertiamim 



1 Voy. Adamonia,x. 317, 360. * (voy. A. DC. Gdop: Sot. 720). Certain species 



2 Those of Velargonimn and Oxalis are often of Impatiens, as I. fuha, natives of America, 

 hadly defined and will be doubtless further have been naturalised in Europe. The European 

 reduced ; hence the difficulty of fixing the exact Oxalia with yellow flowers, like 0. comculata 

 number. - and striata, exist for similar reasons in both 



' There are some common species of European worlds (A. DC. op. cit. 629, 660). 



