308. XLYII. GEEANIACEiE. 



pliyllous or partite, estivation imbricate ; sepals equal or unequal, with the posterior 

 then prolonged into a spur longitudinally adnate to the peduncle {Pelargonium). 

 Petals inserted on the receptacle, equal in number with the sepals, or fewer by sup- 

 pression, and sub-perigynous {Pelargonium), clawed, equal or unequal {Pelargonium), 

 contorted in sestivation, caducous. Stamens inserted with the petals, and usually 

 twice as many, 2-seriate ; the inner fertile, the outer shorter, and opposite to the 

 petals, all fertile {Geranium), or sometimes all {Erodium) or some {Pelargonium) 

 antherless ; rarely triple the number of the petals, and disposed in 6 triandrous 

 bundles, opposite to the petals {Monsonia, Sarcocaulon) ; filaments membranous, flat- 

 tened, and more or less monadelphous below, tips subulate, the lower with external 

 basal glands that alternate with the petals, rarely eglandular {Pelargonium) ; anthers 

 introrse, oblong, dorsifixed, versatile, dehiscence longitudinal. Pistil of 5 

 carpels, cohering into a 6-lobed 5-celled ovary, prolonged above into a beak ter- 

 minated by the styles ; styles continuous with the ovaries, connate below, free 

 above, stigmatiferous along their inner edge; ovules geminate on the ventral suture 

 of each cell, more or less superimposed, semi-anatropous. Fbuit a capsule, opening 

 elastically from below upwards, by septifragal dehiscence, into five 1- seeded cocci 

 with spirally twisted beaks, and detaching themselves from the placentiferous 

 column. Seed 3-gonous ; testa crustaceous ; hilum ventral, a little below the base. 

 EmbEto exalbuminous, curved ; cotyledons foliaceous, flexuous ; radicle conical, in- 

 cumbent on the inner cotyledon, near the hilum, and, together with the tips of the 

 cotyledons, pointing towards the base of the fruit. 



PEINCIPAL GENERA. 

 ♦MoDsonia. *Gei'amum. *Ei'odium. *Pelargoniiuii. 



[Disposition of the Geraniacece proposed in the ' Genera Plantarum ' : — 



- - Tbibe I. Geeaniejs. — Flowers regular or nearly so. Sepals imbricate. Petals alternating 

 with glands. Antheriferous stamens as many as the petals, or twice or thrice as many. 



Biehersteiiiia, Monsonia, Sarcocaulon, Geranium, Erodmin. 



Tribe II. Pelabgonie^. — Flowers irregular. Postioous sepal spurred. Petals perigynous, 

 two upper external. Glands 0. Stamens declinate. Pelargonium, TropcBolum. 



^- Tbibe III. Limnanthe^ (see order Limnahtheje, p. 313). — Flowers regular. Sepals 

 valvate. Petals alternating with glands. Capsule indehiscent, not beaked. Ovary 1 ; ovule 

 with an inferior mioropyle. Flcerlcia, Limnanthes. 



Tbibe IV. Viyianieje. — Flowers regular. Calyx with valvate lobes. Petals alternating 

 with glands. Stamens twice as many as the petals. Capsule loculicidal ; ovules geminate. 

 Viviania. 



Tbibe V. Wendtie^. — Flowers regular. Sepals imbricate. Glands 0. Stigmas ligulate. 

 Ovules 2-00 . Leaves small, often opposite, entire or 2-5-lobed. Bhjncliotheca, Wendtia, 

 Ledocurpon. 



<iT— .Tbibe VI. Oxalideje (see order Oxalidbj;, p. 296). — Flowers regular. Sepals imbricate. 

 Glands 0. Stigmas capitate. Ovules 2-x . Leaves compound. 



s Tbibe VII. Balsamine^ (see order Balsamineje, p. 309). — Flowers irregular. Posticous 



