GERANIUM FAMILY 



darker lines, and while the cranesbill seed-vessel clearly marks 

 the family affiliations, it sends its seeds away a little more strenu- 

 ously than the other species of the genus. It loves to live on rocks 

 and bask in sunshine. 



Edward Step, in "Romance of Wild Flowers," explains the 

 name Robert as an example of interchange of meaning. He 

 says the redness of the plant caused the country people to give it 

 the name Robwort, that is, Redwort, and in course of time the 

 w disappeared in pronunciation, leaving it Rob'ort, to puzzle a 

 later generation who spelled it Robert and wondered if ever the 

 plant had been dedicated to a St. Robert. Linnaeus regarded 

 this Robert as a personal name and gave it a Latin termina- 

 tion by which the plant will doubtless always be known. 



NASTURTIUM 



TropeBolum majus. var. hybrida. 



Tropceolum, Greek, a trophy; the foliage of the common sort sug- 

 gesting a group of shields. Nasturtium is the Latin name of 

 Water Cress. 



Tender South American plants bearing very irregular and uns3Tn- 

 metrical flowers; often climbing by their long leaf-stalks; and filled 

 with a watery juice of pungent odor and aromatic taste. Small Nastur- 

 tium, Tropaolum minus, is similar to Tropceolum majus, but smaller; 

 petals with a bristle-like point. 



Stem. — Either climbing or decumbent. 



Leaves. — Circular, peltate. 



Flowers. —iTTtgMlax, spurred, yellow and orange. 



Co/yw.— Five sepals, united at the base, and on the upper side of 

 the flower extended into a long, descending spur. 



Corolla.— Five petals; the two upper more or less different from the 

 others and mserted at the mouth of the spur; the three lower clawed and 

 more or less fringed at the base. 



Stamens.— Eight, unequal; filaments usually turned downward and 

 curvmg. 



262 



