MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 441 



1. Family. — Cranesbills (Geraniacese). Herbs or 



shrubs ; stems tumid; leaves opposite, or alter- 

 nate and stipulate ; flowers usually symmetri- 

 cal, white, red, yellow, or purple ; sepals five, 

 persistent ; petals five, unguiculate ; stamens 

 monadelphous ; ovary of five carpels round an 

 elongated axis ; styles five, cohering round the 

 axis; fruit of shells cohering round the torus, 

 and separable from it. Many are found at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, also in Northern 

 Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. 

 Yield many favourite species for the florist. 



2. Family. — Balsams (Impatientacese). Herbs, 



succulent, usually annual; leaves alternate 

 or opposite, exstipulate ; flowers axillary, 

 irregular, unsymmetrical ; sepals five, de- 

 ciduous ; petals five, combined into two or 

 three ; stamens five, alternate ; ovary 5-celled ; 

 stigma sessile ; fruit capsular, 5-celled, 5- 

 valved. Natives chiefly of the East Indies. 

 Remarkable for the force with which the seed 

 vessels open at maturity. (Balsaminece, Rich.) 



3. Family. — Wood-Sorrels (Oxalidacese). Herbs, 



under-shrubs, or trees ; leaves alternate, 

 usually exstipulate; flowers symmetrical ; se- 

 pals five, persistent ; petals five, unguiculate, 

 or ; stamens ten, more or less monadelphous ; 

 ovary 3 -5-celled; carpels larger than the 

 torus; styles 3-5, filiform; stigmas capitate 

 or slightly bifid ; fruit capsular, membranous 

 or fleshy ; albumen abundant. Occur in 



u 5 



