Page:The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage.djvu/284

252 2. Geranium intermedium, Bert.? Walpers Repert, Bot. Sgst. vol.i. p. 450.

Hab. Clionos Archipelago ; C. Darwin, Esq.

The single and most unsatisfactory specimen may possibly belong to this species, which is very imperfectly defined in the work quoted. Upper portion of stem, caulinc leaf, peduncle, pedicel and calyx, covered with oppressed pubescence, retrorse on the peduncles and petioles, very dense upwards on these parts. Petals cuneate, shorter than the sepals, which are attenuated into long aristae. 3. Geranium Patagonieum, Hook. fil.; caule erecto pilis albidis patentibus liirsuto, foliis pilosis longe petiolatis orbicularibus 5— 7-partitis laciniis obovato-cuneatis 3-5-fidis segmentis oblongis obtusis subacutisve apieulatis, petiolis pedunculis pedicellisque elongatis retrorsum hispidis, sepalis ovatis in aristam acunrinatis sericeo-pilosis, petalis obovato-cuneatis retusis basi filarnentisque ciliatis, carpellis laevibus aristisque patentim pilosis, seminibus oblongis piceis, testa reticulata.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens, Port Famine ; Capt. King.

Species 67. Caroliniano proxima, sed differt petalis calyce duplo longioribus. Caules 7 unc. ad pedalem, interne patentim superue retrorsum pilosi, paree ramosi. Folia 1-j imc. lata, pilosa, rarius glabriuscula, segmentis ultimis apicibus rotundatis apieulatis acutisve ; petiolis interdiun 3 unc. longis. Pedunculi infirm petiolis longiores, interdum 4 unc. longi, supremi breviores, omnes retrorsum pilosi. Mores magnitudine 67. dissecti, sed petala calyce fere longiora. Fructus fere 1 unc. longus ; carpellis fuscis, obovatis.

One of the most ordinary forms of the genus, the species composing which, are perhaps more variable in all their parts and more widely diffused than is generally supposed. Except by the length of its petals, this is not distinguishable from the G. albicans, St. Hil., and the protean G. Carolinianum of North America: we have the same plant from Monte Video, and Port Desire, but not from the west coast of South America, and a very similar species from Australia.

4. Geranium sessilifiorum, Cav. ; subacaule, radice crasso apice pluri-diviso, foliis radicalibus longe petiolatis appresse sericeo-pubescentibus reniformi-rotundatis 5— 7-partitis laciniis cuneatis 4-7-fidis segmentis obtusis, petiolis retrorsum pilosis, pedunculis e ramis brevibus ortis petiolis multoties brevioribus 1-2 floris, pedicellis dense sericeis, sepalis ovatis subacutis, petalis obcordatis sepalis bis longioribus. G. sessilifloruin, Cav. Diss. vol. iv. p. 198. tab. 77. f. 2. DC. Prodr. vol. i. p. 639.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens ; Commerson. Cape Negro; C. Darwin, Esq. Radix crassitie digitis humanae, superue stipulis persistentibus foliorum delapsorum coronata. Caules breves prostrati, appresse retrorsum pilosi. Folia 5. mic. lata, parce pubescentia, segmentis idtimis obtusis, apieido nullo terminatis ; petiohs 3-unciahbus. Pedunculi crassi, plerumque vix unc. longi, sed interdum elongati, 1-2-flori. Flares diametro fere 67. Columbini. Petala obcordata, sepahs bis longiora, basi (filamentaque lata) cihata.

An easily recognized species in the state I have examined, by its habit, the size of the root, and the short peduncles, and branches or stem, which are however characters very liable to vary. Though placed by authors in the single-flowered section as the peduncles often bear two flowers.

The genus Geranium, though so widely dispersed, hardly inhabits the coldest countries either of the Northern or opposite Hemisphere, the Strait of Magalhaens marking its southern limit in the New, and Lord Auckland's group, or latitude 50°, in the Old World. In Arctic America, no species crosses the parallel of 52° to the eastward of the rocky mountains, but one (67. eriauthum) reaches Sitka latitude 59° on the west of that range. In Asia that plant inhabits the same latitude in Kamschatka. No European species, except G. sylvaticum (the only Alpine English one), crosses the Arctic circle, while three are found in Iceland, the northern extremity of which stretches to