PELARGO'NIUM TRI'COLOR. 
THREE-COLOURED STORK’S BILL. 
Class. Order 
MON A DEL PH IA. HEPTANDRIA. 
Natural Order. 
GERANIACE^E, 
Native of 
Height. 

Flowers in 
Duration. 
Introduced 
C. G. Hope. 
1 foot. 
all seasons. 
Perennial. 
in 1791. 
No. 1156. 
All the plants which are now called Pelargoniums, 
were originally arranged under Geranium. The 
extent of the latter comprehensive genus, as origi- 
nally constituted, rendered it desirable that the 
species should be divided. 
The principle on which the Geraniums, of the 
older botanists were distributed, arose out of the 
fact that some were found with ten perfect stamens, 
others with seven, and others with four only. 
Hence those species which possessed ten, were re- 
tained as Geraniums ; those with seven only are 
distinguished as Pelargoniums; and those with 
five only are Erodiums. 
The terms which are here employed must be 
acknowledged to be quite appropriate. As Geranium 
is from geranos, a crane, so Pelargonium is derived 
from pelargos, a stork ; and erodius, a heron, has 
given us Erodium. Thus, according to the origi- 
nal idea of Linneus, in likening the oblong seed 
vessel to the long beak of the bird, so have later 
botanists followed out the idea by still using names 
from birds, whose bills have the like similarity. 
It will not be matter of surprise that a divison of 
