114 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



July. The wood geranium, G. sylcali-cum, grows from one 

 to three feet high, the stems forking freely, and bearing a 

 mass of purple blossoms at their extremities. The leaves 

 are of the richly cut type presented to us in the meadow 

 crane's-bill. It is a plant of the north, and should be 

 searched for in woods in Scotland and the northern parts 

 of England and Ireland. The only other species to which 

 we need here allude is the long-stalked crane's-bill, or 

 G. columbitoum, an annual plant, having very slender stems 

 and very deeply-cut foliage. It is found on dry banks and 

 waste ground, and chiefly where the soil is limestone or gravel. 

 Returning, however, to our dove's foot crane's-bill, the 

 Ti'oed y golomen of the Welshmen, we now proceed to go 

 somewhat more fully into detail. The root of the plant calls 

 for no further comment than that, like the root of most 

 annuals, it is very simple in character. As to the general 

 structure of the plant, the stems are weak and spread- 

 ing, and vary in length from a few inches to a foot. 

 They branch a good deal, are very hairy, and often, 

 especially near their bases, show a good deal of red 

 colour, a crimson as rich and pure as that of the blossoms. 

 The root-leaves are very numerous, and grow on long and 

 hairy foot-stalks ; in fact, both the stalks and leaves are 

 covered with soft hair. These lower leaves are almost 

 circular in general outline, but they are deeply cut into 

 lobes or segments, while the leaves of the stem are 

 arranged alternately, and as they ascend become smaller, 

 are divided into fewer segments, and what segments there 

 are are much narrower and more pointed. A glance at the 

 lowest and highest leaves in our figure will at once clearly 

 illustrate our meaning. The flower-stalks are long, and 

 spring from the axils of the leaves. They are forked, and 



