Geranium molle. Common Doves-foot Cranes-bill. 



GERANIUM L'mnai Gen. PL Monadelphia Decandria. 



Monogyna. Stigmai. 5. Fruffus roftratus, 5-coccus. 

 RanSyn.Gen.2Jb Herb^e pentapetal^e vasculifer.se. 



GERANIUM molle pedunculis biflorls, foliifque floralibus alternis, petalis bifidis, calycibus muticis, 

 caule erectiufculo. Linnai Syjl. Vegetab. p. 515. Sp. PL p. 955. Fl. Suede, p. 577. 



GERANIUM foliis . molliffimis, hirfutis, reniformibus, femiquinquefidis, lobis femitripartitis, obtufis. 

 Haller hifl. n. 939. 



GERANIUM molle. Scopoli Fl. Carniol. an noftra planta ? 



GERANIUM columbinum villofum, petalis bifidis purpureis. Vaill. Paris, yy. t. 1$. fig. 3. 

 GERANIUM columbinum. Ger. emac. 938. 



GERANIUM columbinum vulgare. Parkin/on 706. RailSyn. p. 3 5 9, Doves- foot, orDoves-foot-Cranes-bill. 

 GERANIUM folio malvze rotundo. Bauhin. Pin. 318. 



Hudfon Fl. Angl. p. 265. 



Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 370. 



RADIX annua, fufiformis, fimplex. % ROOT annual, tapering, and fimple. 



■*• 



Si 



CAULES plures, utplurimum procumbentes, teretes, $ STALKS feveral, procumbent, round, of a reddifh 



rubicundi, dodrantales aut pedales, villofi, | colour, from nine inches to a foot in length, 



ramoii. | villous, and branched. 



% 



I LEAVES : thofe next the root fitting on long, round, 



FOLIA radicalia petiolis longis, teretibus, villofis, in- ^ villous foot-ftalks, of a roundilh form, hoary, 



fidentia, fubrotunda, villofa, fubtus venofa, % and veiny underneath, deeply divided into 



feptemflda, laciniis incifis, caulina alterna in | feven fegments, which are jagged : the leaves 



lacinias pauciores, anguftiores et acutiores % on the ftalk alternate, divided into fewer 



divifa. | fegments, which are narrower and more poin- 



| ted. . 



J STIPULiE four at each joint, membranous, and wither- 



STIPULiE ad fingula genicula quaternse, membrana- y ing. 

 ceas, marefcentes. | 



I FLOWER-STALK : general flower-ftalk the length 



PEDUNCULI longitudine et forma petiolorum iifque % and form of the leaf-ftalks, and growing op- 



oppofiti, bifidi, biflori : pedicelli pedunculo | pofite to them, bifid, and fupporting two 



triplo fere breviores, ftipulis minoribus ad $ flowers : partial flower-ftalks nearly three 



bafin cinctis, adlentem fubvifcofis. | times fhorter than the general one, furround- 



y ed at their bafe by fmaller ftipulae, fome of 

 the hairs on which appearing glandular if 



I viewed with a glafs. 



CALYX: PERiANTHiuMpentaphyllum, foliolis ovato- % CALYX: a Perianthium of five leaves, oval, poin- 



acutis, trinervibus, pilofis, inrequalibus, brevi | ted, having three ribs, hairy, unequal, and 



mucrone, rufo, non admodum acuto, termi- $ terminated by a reddilh and fomewhat blunt 



natis, fig. 1. I point, fig. 1. 



% 

 COROLLA: Petala quinque purpurea, obcordata, % COROLLA: five purple Petals, inverfely heart- 



calyce paulo longiora, unguibus parvis, utrin- | Ihaped, a little longer than the Calyx, the 



que ciliatis. j claws fmall, and edged on each fide with hairs. 



% 



STAMINA: Filamenta decern, alba, aequalia, bafi | STAMINA: ten white Filaments, of an unequal 

 lata, vix coalefcentia : Anthers ccerulea?, * length, broad at bottom, but not perceptibly 



fig- 2. I united : Anthers blue, fig. 2. 



PISTILLUM: Germen quinquangulare : Stylus ¥ PISTILLUM : Germen five-cornered : Style taper- 

 fubulatus, vifcofus : Stigmata quinque, | ing, with glandular hairs : Stigmata five, 



rubra, reflexa, fig. 3, 4. ¥ of a red colour, and turning back, fig. 3, 4. 



SEMINA quinque, ovata, glabra, fig. 5, 7, 8. Arillo f SEEDS five, oval and fmooth, fig. 5, 7, 8, covered 

 rugofo teda, fig. 6. % with a wrinkled Arillus, fig. 6. 



THE Geranium molle is the moft common of all our Geraniums, and one of the earlieft in bloffom, beginning 

 to blow in April, and continuing through the Summer. Its moll natural fituation is on a dry bank ; yet it 

 very often is found in paftures, and under walls. If growing by itfelf, the ftalks are ufually procumbent; 

 among other plants it is often drawn upright. 



It varies very much in fize; the flowers alfo vary much both in fize and colour. In the Lawn before 

 Chelfea Hofpital, I have noticed this plant almoft as large as the pyrenaicum of Linnjeus. Its flowers are 

 fometimes white, fometimes pale red, with many gradations of purple. 



It is molt likely to be mifiaken for the rotund/folium and pyrenaicum, neither of which are common plants 

 with us: in what refpecl it differs from thefe, we fhall mention when they come to be defcribed. 



We may remark here, that the Arilli, or coverings of the feeds, fig. 6, are curioufly wrinkled ; but the feeds 

 themfelves are perfectly fmooth. 



