Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Cranesbill
Description
Genus Geranium
Annual
or perennial
herbs. Leaves usually alternate, stipulate
, variously divided
. Peduncles (1-) 2-flowered. Flowers often showy, regular, usually 5-merous. Petals alternating with 5 nectiferous glands
. Stamens (5-) 10, staminodes occasional. Carpels usually 5, adnate
, separating septifragally from the central axis at maturity. Ovary 5-lobed. Fruit schizocarpic, of 5 mericarps which remain attached to an elastically coiling
stylar
axis upwards; mericarps without apical pits.
A genus of c.
400 species, mainly distributed in the temperate
zone of N. Hemisphere, but also in the tropics. Represented in Pakistan by 22 species. The large flowered perennials are difficult to key
out satisfactorily unless there is ample information on the nature of the underground parts, flower colour, shape
and size of the leaves and the fruits. In the key that follows, I have used the following terminology: segments for primary division
of leaves; lobes
for secondary division
. The sepal length
excludes the awn
. The beak
length (in fruit) excludes the styles.[1]
Physical Description
Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June. • Flower Color: near white, pale pink, white
Size/Age/Growth
Size: 12-18" tall.
Biology
Growth
Culture: Space 12-15" apart.
Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .
Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
)
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Geranianae
(
)
- (Dumortier, 1829) Takhtajan, 1997
- Order:
Geraniales
(
)
- Dumortier, 1829
- Family:
Geraniaceae
(
)
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Subfamily:
Ericoideae
(
)
- Subfamily:
Ericoideae
(
- Family:
Geraniaceae
(
- Order:
Geraniales
(
- Superorder:
Geranianae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Geranium
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 263 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
G. (Cranesbill [thumping Heart]) · G. aequale (Awnless Geranium) · G. aequatoriale (Cranesbill) · G. albicans (Roundleaf Geranium) · G. arboreum (Hawai'i Red Cranesbill) · G. aristatum (Cranesbill) · G. asphodeloides (Hedgerow Geranium) · G. atropurpureum Heller var. cowenii (Rydb.) Dorn (Western Purple Cranesbill) · G. bicknellii (Bicknell's Cranesbill) · G. bicknellii Britton var. bicknellii Britton (Bicknell's Cranesbill) · G. bohemicum 'Orchid Blue' (Cranesbill) · G. caespitosum (James Cranebill) · G. caespitosum E.James var. fremontii (Torr. ex A.Gray) Dorn (Fremont Geranium) · G. caespitosum var. parryi (Engelm.) W.A.Weber (Parry Geranium) · G. californicum (California Crane's-Bill) · G. canariensis (Giant Geranium) · G. carolinianum (Carolina Crane's-Bill) · G. carolinianum L. var. sphaerospermum (Fern.) Breitung (Carolina Geranium) · G. cinereum (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum var. subcaulescens 'Giuseppe' (Greyleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum'Alice' (Alice Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum 'Ballerina' (Ballerina Cranesbill) · G. cinereum 'Carol' (Carol Cranesbill) · G. cinereum 'Lawrence Flatman' (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum 'Memories' (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum 'Purple Pillow' (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum 'Sateene' (Sateen Grayleaf Geranium) · G. cinereum subcaulescens 'Splendens' (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. clarkei (Cranesbill) · G. clarkei 'Kashmir Pink' (Cranesbill) · G. clarkei 'Kashmir Purple' (Cranesbill) · G. clarkei 'Kashmir White' (Cranesbill) · G. columbinum (Long-Stalk Crane's-Bill) · G. cuneatum cuneatum (Cuneate-Leaf Crane's-Bill) · G. cuneatum hololeucum (Hinahina) · G. cuneatum hypoleucum (Hinahina) · G. cuneatum tridens (Hinahina) · G. dalmaticum (Geranium) · G. dissectum (Cut-Leaf Crane's-Bill) · G. divaricatum (Fanleaf Geranium) · G. Dragon Heart = 'Bremdra' (Cranesbill [dragon Heart]) · G. endressii (Cranesbill) · G. endressii x psilostemon 'Patricia' (Patricia Cranesbill) · G. erianthum (Northern Crane's-Bill) · G. farreri (Farrers Geranium) · G. gracile (Hardy Geranium) · G. hanaense (Maui Geranium) · G. harveyi (Cranesbill) · G. hayatanum (Hardy Geranium) · G. himalayense (Cranesbill) · G. himalayense 'Baby Blue' (Himalayan Geranium) · G. himalayense 'Derrick Cook' (Himalayan Geranium) · G. himalayense 'Devil's Blue' (Devil's Blue Himalayan Geranium) · G. himalayense 'Gravetye' (Himalayan Geranium) · G. himalayense 'Irish Blue' (Himalayan Geranium) · G. himalayense 'Plenum' (Birch Double Geranium) · G. homeanum (Australasia Crane's-Bill) · G. ibericum (Iberian Crane's-Bill) · G. ibericum jubatum (Iberian Geranium) · G. incanum (Carpet Geranium) · G. incanum 'Silver Sugar Plum' (Carpet Geranium) · G. kauaiense (Kauai Geranium) · G. lambertii (Geranium) · G. lambertii x procurrens 'Salome' (Salome Cranesbill) · G. lambertii 'Swansdown' (Geranium) · G. lentum (Mogollon Crane's-Bill) · G. libani (Geranium Geranium Libani) · G. lucidum (Shining Crane's-Bill) · G. macrorrhizum (Big Root Geranium) · G. macrorrhizum 'Album' (Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Bevan's Variety' (Bevan's Variety Bigroot Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Czakor' (Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Ingwersen's Variety' (Ingwersen's Variety Bigroot Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Lohfelden' (Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Spessart' (Bigroot Cranesbill) · G. macrorrhizum 'Variegatum' (Bigroot Geranium) · G. macrorrhizum 'White-Ness' (Cranesbill) · G. macrostylum (Cranesbill) · G. maculatum (Cranesbill) · G. maculatum 'Album' (Spotted Geranium) · G. maculatum 'Elizabeth Ann' (Elizabeth Anne Hardy Geranium) · G. maculatum 'Espresso' (Espresso Cranesbill) · G. maderense (Madeiran Cranesbill) · G. magnificum (Cranesbill) · G. magniflorum (Cranesbill) · G. magniflorum 'Laveta Lace' (Geranium) · G. makmelicum (Grayleaf Geranium) · G. molle (Awnless Geranium) · G. molle molle (Dovesfoot Crane's-Bill) · G. multiflorum (Many-Flower Crane's Bill) · G. multiflorum multiflorum (Manyflower Geranium) · G. multisectum (Cranesbill) · G. nodosum (Geranium) · G. oreganum (Oregon Crane's-Bill) · G. palmatum (Canary Island Geranium) · G. palustre (Marsh Cranes-Bill) · G. phaeum (Dusky Cranesbill) · G. phaeum phaeum 'Samobor' (Cranesbill) · G. phaeum 'Album' (Dusky Cranesbill) · G. phaeum 'Calligrapher' (Dusky Cranesbill)
More Info
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Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed April 30, 2012.
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 741359
Footnotes
- Yasin J Nasir "Geranium". in Flora of Pakistan . Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
