Volume 3 — PLATE CLII. GERANIUM SPATHULATUM. Spatula-leaved Geranium.

CLASS XVI. ORDER IV. of Suppl. Syst. Veg. 1781.

MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA. Threads united. Ten Chives.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

Monogyna. Stigmata quinque. Fructus rostratus, penta-coccus.

One Pointal. Five summits. Fruit furnished with long awns, five dry berries.

See Geranium grandiflorum, Pl. XII. Vol. I.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Geranium foliis integerrimis, spathulatis, glabris, obtusis, radicalibus; calycibus monophyllis; staminibus quinque fertilibus; radice tuberosa.

Geranium with quite entire leaves, spatula-shaped, smooth, blunt, and growing from the root; cups one-leaved; five fertile chives; root tuberous.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. The Empalement cut open, to shew its hollow structure.

2. The Chives and Pointal natural size.

3. The Chives spread open, to shew the number and situation of the fertile ones, which are alternate.

4. The Pointal magnified.

The greater number of Geraniums which have been introduced of late, are of the tuberous herbaceous kind; drawings of 14 we have, independent of those already figured; constituting a distinguished, and distinct natural branch of this extensive family. For the most part, they have only five fertile chives with tubular empalements, some only two, and others seven, with the footstalk of the flower solid up to the bottom of the cup. This species is as yet, we believe, only in the Hibbertian Collection, Clapham, where our drawing was taken in April this year. The roots had been received in the autumn of 1800 from the Cape. It appears to require the same management as G. punctatum, and like it, may be increased by the root.