This article is about the botanical genus called Geranium. For the summer bedding "geranium", see Pelargonium. For other uses, see Geranium (disambiguation).
Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennialplants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region.
The palmately cleft leaves are broadly circular in form. The flowers have five petals and are coloured white, pink, purple or blue, often with distinctive veining. Geraniums will grow in any soil as long as it is not waterlogged. Propagation is by semiripe cuttings in summer, by seed, or by division in autumn or spring.
Floral diagram of a Geranium garden hybrid called ‘Ann Thomson’, showing 5 free sepals, 5 free petals, 10 free fertile stamens, and a superior ovary consisting of 5 merged carpels, with 5 style branches
The genus name is derived from the Greekγέρανος (géranos) or γερανός (geranós) 'crane'. The English name 'cranesbill' derives from the resemblance of the fruit capsule of some of the species to a crane's head and bill. The ovary portion forms the head and the prolonged stigma creates the appearance of a beak.[4]
Description
The flowers are typically five-petaled and white to purple. The leaves are palmate divided into narrow, pointed segments.[4]
The fruit capsule consists of five cells joined to a column produced from the centre of the flower. The cells form lobes which eventually separate, each containing one seed.[4] When the fruit is ripe, the beak-like stigma springs open and casts the seeds some distance, dispersing the seeds.
Confusion with Pelargonium
The "bill" and seed dispersal mechanism of G.pratense
Confusingly, "geranium" is also the common name of members of the genus Pelargonium, which are also in the familyGeraniaceae and are widely grown as horticultural bedding plants. Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’Héritier in 1789. Other former members of the genus are now classified in Erodium, including the plants known as filarees in North America.
The term "hardy geranium" is often applied to horticultural Geraniums to distinguish them from the Pelargoniums, which are not winter-hardy in temperate horticulture. However, not all Geranium species are winter-hardy (see below).
The shape of the flowers offers one way of distinguishing between the two genera Geranium and Pelargonium. Geranium flowers have five very similar petals, and are thus radially symmetrical (actinomorphic), whereas Pelargonium (and also Erodium) flowers have two upper petals which are different from the three lower petals, so the flowers have a single plane of symmetry (zygomorphic).
Cultivation
A number of geranium species are cultivated for horticultural use and for pharmaceutical products. Some of the more commonly grown species include:
All the above species are perennials and generally winter-hardy plants, grown for their attractive flowers and foliage. They are long-lived and most have a mounding habit, with palmately lobed foliage. Some species have spreading rhizomes. They are normally grown in part shade to full sun, in well-draining but moisture retentive soils, rich in humus.[5] Other perennial species grown for their flowers and foliage include: Geranium argenteum, G. eriostemon, G. farreri, G. nodosum, G. procurrens, G. pylzowianum, G. renardii, G. traversii, G. tuberosum, G. versicolor, G. wallichianum and G. wlassovianum. Some of these are not winter-hardy in cold areas and are grown in specialized gardens like rock gardens.[6]Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' is a hybrid between G. himalayense (southwestern China), with G. pratense (European meadow cranesbill).[7]
Cultivars
Close up of a geranium flower (probably 'Johnson's Blue')
^Hessing, M.B. 1989. Variation in self-fertility and floral characters of Geranium caespitosum (Geraniaceae) along an elevational gradient. Plant Systematics and Evolution 166:225-241.
^Van Etten and Chang 2014. Frequency-dependent pollinator discrimination acts against female plants in the gynodioecious Geranium maculatum Annals of Botany 114:1769–1778
^Elzinga, Jelmer A.; Varga, Sandra (2017). "Prolonged stigma and flower lifespan in females of the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum". Flora. 226: 72–81. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2016.11.007.
^ abcTaylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 62. ISBN0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
^Phillips, Ellen; Colston Burrell, C. (1993), Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of perennials, Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, pp. 373–76, ISBN978-0-87596-570-3
^Jelitto, Leo; Schacht, Wilhelm; Epp, Michael E.; Baumgardt (ed. and transl.), John Philip (1990), Hardy herbaceous perennials, vol. 1, Portland, OR: Timber Press, pp. 260–64, ISBN978-0-88192-159-5
Aedo, Carlos; Garmendia, Felix Munoz (February 1996). "Some Notes on the Sectional Nomenclature of Geranium (Geraniaceae)". Taxon. 45 (1): 104. doi:10.2307/1222593. JSTOR 1222593.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geranium.
ITIS list of Geranium species
Geranium Taxonomic Information System
Preparing Geraniums for Winter
March 08, 2023
geranium, this, article, about, botanical, genus, called, summer, bedding, geranium, pelargonium, other, uses, disambiguation, confused, with, germanium, genus, species, annual, biennial, perennial, plants, that, commonly, known, geraniums, cranesbills, they, . This article is about the botanical genus called Geranium For the summer bedding geranium see Pelargonium For other uses see Geranium disambiguation Not to be confused with germanium Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual biennial and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics but mostly in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region GeraniumGeranium dissectumScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder GeranialesFamily GeraniaceaeGenus GeraniumL SpeciesSee list The palmately cleft leaves are broadly circular in form The flowers have five petals and are coloured white pink purple or blue often with distinctive veining Geraniums will grow in any soil as long as it is not waterlogged Propagation is by semiripe cuttings in summer by seed or by division in autumn or spring Geraniums are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including brown tail ghost moth and mouse moth At least several species of Geranium are gynodioecious 1 2 3 The species Geranium viscosissimum sticky geranium is considered to be protocarnivorous Contents 1 Name 2 Description 3 Confusion with Pelargonium 4 Cultivation 4 1 Cultivars 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External linksName Edit Floral diagram of a Geranium garden hybrid called Ann Thomson showing 5 free sepals 5 free petals 10 free fertile stamens and a superior ovary consisting of 5 merged carpels with 5 style branches The genus name is derived from the Greek geranos geranos or geranos geranos crane The English name cranesbill derives from the resemblance of the fruit capsule of some of the species to a crane s head and bill The ovary portion forms the head and the prolonged stigma creates the appearance of a beak 4 Description EditThe flowers are typically five petaled and white to purple The leaves are palmate divided into narrow pointed segments 4 The fruit capsule consists of five cells joined to a column produced from the centre of the flower The cells form lobes which eventually separate each containing one seed 4 When the fruit is ripe the beak like stigma springs open and casts the seeds some distance dispersing the seeds Confusion with Pelargonium Edit The bill and seed dispersal mechanism of G pratense Confusingly geranium is also the common name of members of the genus Pelargonium which are also in the family Geraniaceae and are widely grown as horticultural bedding plants Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus Geranium but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L Heritier in 1789 Other former members of the genus are now classified in Erodium including the plants known as filarees in North America The term hardy geranium is often applied to horticultural Geraniums to distinguish them from the Pelargoniums which are not winter hardy in temperate horticulture However not all Geranium species are winter hardy see below The shape of the flowers offers one way of distinguishing between the two genera Geranium and Pelargonium Geranium flowers have five very similar petals and are thus radially symmetrical actinomorphic whereas Pelargonium and also Erodium flowers have two upper petals which are different from the three lower petals so the flowers have a single plane of symmetry zygomorphic Cultivation EditA number of geranium species are cultivated for horticultural use and for pharmaceutical products Some of the more commonly grown species include Geranium albanum crested cranesbill Geranium cinereum Geranium clarkei Clarke s geranium Geranium dalmaticum Geranium endressii Endres s cranesbill Geranium erianthum wooly geranium Geranium fremontii Fremont s geranium Geranium himalayense often sold under Geranium grandiflorum Geranium ibericum Caucasus geranium Geranium macrorrhizum bigroot cranesbill or bigroot geranium Geranium maculatum wild geranium Geranium maderense giant herb robert Geranium magnificum showy geranium Geranium phaeum dusky cranesbill Geranium platypetalum broad petaled geranium Geranium pratense meadow cranesbill Geranium psilostemon Armenian cranesbill Geranium renardii Renard geranium Geranium sanguineum bloody cranesbill Geranium subcaulescens grey cranesbill Geranium sylvaticum wood cranesbill All the above species are perennials and generally winter hardy plants grown for their attractive flowers and foliage They are long lived and most have a mounding habit with palmately lobed foliage Some species have spreading rhizomes They are normally grown in part shade to full sun in well draining but moisture retentive soils rich in humus 5 Other perennial species grown for their flowers and foliage include Geranium argenteum G eriostemon G farreri G nodosum G procurrens G pylzowianum G renardii G traversii G tuberosum G versicolor G wallichianum and G wlassovianum Some of these are not winter hardy in cold areas and are grown in specialized gardens like rock gardens 6 Geranium Johnson s Blue is a hybrid between G himalayense southwestern China with G pratense European meadow cranesbill 7 Cultivars Edit Close up of a geranium flower probably Johnson s Blue The following hybrid cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society s Award of Garden Merit other cultivars are dealt with under their species name see above 8 Ann Folkard 9 A T Johnson G oxonianum 10 Ballerina 11 Blue Cloud 12 Blue Sunrise Blogold PBR 13 Brookside 14 Danny Boy 15 Dilys 16 Gypsy G lindavicum 17 Ivan 18 Mavis Simpson 19 Nimbus 20 Orion 21 Patricia Brempat 22 Rothbury Gem Gerfos 23 Rozanne Gerwat 24 Russell Prichard 25 Sirak 26 Wageningen 27 Wargrave Pink G oxonianum 28 Gallery Edit Pink Geranium flowers in a flower farmPink Geranium Pink Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum Geranium phaeum from Thome Flora von Deutschland Osterreich und der Schweiz 1885 Geranium platypetalum Geranium sanguineum Geranium pratense meadow cranesbill Geranium robertianum herb robert Geranium maderense Geranium maculatum Geranium arboreum Geranium petal under the microscope Geranium probably Johnson s Blue See also EditList of Geranium speciesReferences Edit Hessing M B 1989 Variation in self fertility and floral characters of Geranium caespitosum Geraniaceae along an elevational gradient Plant Systematics and Evolution 166 225 241 Van Etten and Chang 2014 Frequency dependent pollinator discrimination acts against female plants in the gynodioecious Geranium maculatum Annals of Botany 114 1769 1778 Elzinga Jelmer A Varga Sandra 2017 Prolonged stigma and flower lifespan in females of the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum Flora 226 72 81 doi 10 1016 j flora 2016 11 007 a b c Taylor Ronald J 1994 1992 Sagebrush Country A Wildflower Sanctuary rev ed Missoula MT Mountain Press Pub Co p 62 ISBN 0 87842 280 3 OCLC 25708726 Phillips Ellen Colston Burrell C 1993 Rodale s illustrated encyclopedia of perennials Emmaus Pa Rodale Press pp 373 76 ISBN 978 0 87596 570 3 Jelitto Leo Schacht Wilhelm Epp Michael E Baumgardt ed and transl John Philip 1990 Hardy herbaceous perennials vol 1 Portland OR Timber Press pp 260 64 ISBN 978 0 88192 159 5 Paghat s Garden Paghat com Retrieved 2013 09 17 AGM Plants Ornamental PDF Royal Horticultural Society July 2017 p 39 Retrieved 27 February 2018 RHS Plant Selector Geranium Ann Folkard AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 5 April 2020 RHS Plant Selector Geranium oxonianum A T Johnson AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 5 April 2020 Geranium Cinereum Group Ballerina RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 RHS Plantfinder Geranium Blue Cloud Retrieved 1 March 2018 Geranium Blue Sunrise Blogold PBR RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 Geranium Brookside RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 RHS Plantfinder Geranium Danny Boy Retrieved 2 March 2018 RHS Plant Selector Geranium Dilys AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 2013 09 17 RHS Plantfinder G lindavicum Gypsy Retrieved 1 March 2018 Geranium Ivan RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 RHS Plant Selector Geranium Mavis Simpson AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 2013 09 17 Geranium Nimbus RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 RHS Plant Selector Geranium Orion AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 2013 09 17 RHS Plantfinder Geranium Pattricia Brempat Retrieved 2 March 2018 Geranium Rothbury Gem Gerfos RHS Retrieved 14 July 2020 RHS Plant Selector Geranium ROZANNE Gerwat PBR AGM RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 5 April 2020 RHS Plantfinder Geranium riversleainum Russell Prichard Retrieved 2 March 2018 Geranium Sirak RHS Retrieved 14 July 2020 Geranium oxonianum Wageningen RHS Retrieved 11 July 2020 RHS Plant Selector Results RHS Gardening Apps rhs org uk Retrieved 5 April 2020 Bibliography EditAedo Carlos Garmendia Felix Munoz February 1996 Some Notes on the Sectional Nomenclature of Geranium Geraniaceae Taxon 45 1 104 doi 10 2307 1222593 JSTOR 1222593 Genus Geranium in North America the PerennialsExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geranium ITIS list of Geranium species Geranium Taxonomic Information System Preparing Geraniums for Winter Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Geranium amp oldid 1140314439, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
