CXLVI1I. — THE LONG-STALKED CRANE’S-BILL. 
Geranium columbimtm Linne. 
T HE genus Geranium includes perennial, biennial, and annual species, and this 
character of duration is a chief basis for the subdivision of the numerous species 
into groups. In the perennial forms, such as the Meadow Crane’s-bill ( Geranium 
pratense Linne), there is generally a short, thick, praemorse, branched rhizome, firmly 
anchored in the ground by long root fibres. In Geranium pyrendicum N. L. Burman 
—a fairly common, large, red-flowered species, which is, perhaps, not indigenous — 
however, there is a fusiform perennial root and no rhizome is formed. Another 
group of species, of which G. columbinum Linn6, the Long-stalked Crane’s-bill, is one, 
though often described as annual, are capable, under certain circumstances, of 
surviving into a second season, thus becoming biennial. In these no rhizome is 
formed and the plant is often small and prostrate, though sometimes, as in the 
case of the common Herb Robert (G. Robertianum Linn6), spreading out over a 
considerable area, often of bare chalk or limestone, so as well to hold its own against 
other plants. Many of these slender species, however, are capable of clambering to 
considerable heights. They in many cases give off somewhat rigid branches at a 
right angle to their main stem, or their leaf-stalks spring in the same manner, 
while the bases of the branches are often swollen. By these means we have seen 
Herb Robert, G. columbinum, G. molle Linne, and other species climbing up the 
inside of a hawthorn hedge to a height of four or five feet from the ground. 
The number of flowers on a peduncle, whether one or two, the direction of 
the sepals, whether spreading or erect, and the throwing off of either carpels or 
seeds, when the fruit is ripe, are other criteria upon which we base our classification 
of the species. 
The soft downiness of the leaves of several species led to their being known as 
Dove's-foot Crane’s-bill ; but this is hardly an appropriate origin for the specific name 
columbinum, i.e. dove-like, adopted by Linnaeus for the Long-stalked Crane’s-bill, 
since it is almost glabrous. It is, however, noteworthy that there are some stiff 
adpressed hairs on the stem, which, being in general deflexed, would seem to be 
probably an efficient protection against unwelcome insect-guests. The division of 
the long-stalked opposite leaves almost to the base of their blades into from five to 
seven pinnatipartite segments, the ultimate divisions of which are linear and acute, 
attracted the attention of the botanists of the seventeenth century. It had before 
been recognised that several distinct species had been called Geranium columbinum. 
As a matter of fact, those we now know as G. rot undifolium, G. molle, G. pusillum, 
G. disseclum, and G. columbinum had all been so called. The first to discriminate the 
Long-stalked Crane’s-bill was apparently John Goodyer, whom Parkinson describes as 
u a great lover and curious searcher of plants ; who besides this hath found in our countrey many other plants, not imagined to 
grow in our Land. I wish there were many more of his minde, that not hindering their affaires at spare times, would be 
industrious to search out and know' what the ground bringeth forth, wheie their occasions are to be,” 
