GERANIUM PRATEN'SE. 
flore variegata. 
VARIEGATED MEADOW CRANE’S-BILL. 
Class. Order. 
MONADELPHIA. DECANDHIA. 
Natural Order. 
GERANIACE.*. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Cultivated 
Britain. 
2§ feet. 
June, July. 
Perennial . 
in 1790. 
No. 492. 
For the derivation of Geranium, see No. 193, Pra- 
tense, from the Latin pratum, meadow, or green field. 
This variety of our meadow Crane’s-bill is showy 
and handsome, and its flowers partake of a degree 
of delicacy, by which it greatly surpasses, in effect, 
its more common blue congener. Its flowers vary 
much in the portion of colour which they display, 
some being nearly all blue, whilst others are pro- 
duced completely white. The Geranium pratense 
is a rather luxuriant grower, and well adapted to 
the backs of borders, or to conceal and shade the 
surface of mounds, where standard roses and tall 
perennials prevail. 
In cultivation no plant requires less attention. 
Its exuberance, if inconvenient, may easily be made 
to accord with its situation. The spade and the 
knife oftentimes require to be used with uncom- 
promising freedom in the garden. 
The order geraniaceae is physiologically interest- 
ing in the economy of its seed vessels. It was, long 
since, observed by Dr. Arnold, that among the 
numberless instances of obvious Providential design 
and contrivance in the structure of the seeds and 
