GERANIUM FAMILY 



a strong fishy odor, and rather narrow petals, and Pelargonium 

 inqulnas, which is without the zonal mark, has velvety foliage 

 and broader and more rounded petals. In both the colors range 

 from scarlet and crimson to white. The present garden race was 

 fairly well established in England by the end of the eighteenth 

 century, but its vogue as a bedding plant and the great develop- 

 ment of the double forms are of comparatively recent date, proba- 

 bly since i860. 



The Ivy-Leaved Geraniums are the descendants of Pelar- 

 gonium peltatum, a plant of weak, trailing, zigzag stems, thick, 

 shining, angular leaves, and flowers in loose umbels. The plant is 

 a favorite for window-boxes and hanging-baskets, where over- 

 hanging foliage is desired. 



The Rose Geraniums are of several varieties, the best-known 

 and most desirable are marked by the rose-like fragrance of the 

 much-divided leaves. In the trade are forms known as apple, 

 nutmeg, lemon, and others, all differentiated by the fragrance of 

 the foliage. They are used principally as border plants. 



The fancy type is known to gardeners as Pelargoniums or 

 Lady Washington Geraniums. The American climate is very 

 trying to these plants, and in order to do well they need 

 more care than the amateur ordinarily has to give. They are 

 very beautiful but, as a rule, whoever buys them buys disap- 

 pointment. 



The botanical characters of the genus Pelargonium are a five- 

 parted calyx; five petals, mostly obovate, comprising two upper 

 and three lower; really ten stamens but three or more of them 

 sterile filaments; a style dividing into five stigmas and the fruit a 

 group of carpels. 



The botanical difference between the real Geraniums which the 

 cultivated Geraniums are not, and the Pelargoniums which the 

 cultiva;ted Geraniums really are, lies chiefly in two points: In 

 most cases the flowers of Geranium are regular but those of Pelar- 

 gonium are irregular, the two upper petals differing from the under 

 in size, shape, aiid often in coloring. The most constant difference 

 between the genera is the presence in Pelargonium of a spur ex- 



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