Nat. Ord.—Geraniaceje. 
CRANES-BILL. 
(Geranium maculatum.') 
r ERE are but few flowers of the Cranes-bill family in Canada. 
The one most worthy of notice is the Wood Geranium 
( Geranium maculatum ). This is a very ornamental plant; 
its favourite locality is open grassy thickets among low 
bushes, especially those tracts of country known as Oak-openings, 
where it often reaches to the height of from 2° to 3°, throwing out 
many branches adorned with deep lilac flowers; the half-opened buds 
are very lovely. The blossom consists of five petals, obtuse and 
slightly indented on their upper margins, and are lined and delicately 
veinedwith purple. The calyx consists of five pointed sepals; stamens 
ten; the anthers are of a reddish brown; styles five, cohering at the 
top. When the seed is mature these curl up bearing the ripe brown 
seed adhering to the base of each one. The common name Cranes- 
bill has been derived from the long grooved and stork-like beak 
which supports the styles. The Greek name of the plant means a 
Crane. The whole plant is more or less beset with silvery hairs. 
The leaves are divided into about five principal segments; these 
again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed irregularly sized teeth. 
