Geranium pratense

Geranium pratense
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Geraniales
Family: Geraniaceae
Genus: Geranium
Species:
G. pratense
Binomial name
Geranium pratense

Geranium pratense, the meadow crane's-bill[1] or meadow geranium,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and Asia.[3] Forming a clump up to 1 m (3.3 ft) broad, it is a herbaceous perennial with hairy stems and lax saucer-shaped blooms of pale violet. It is extremely hardy to at least −20 °C (−4 °F), reflecting its origins in the Altai Mountains of central Asia.[4]

The leaves are deeply divided into 7-9 lobes and 3-6 inch wide and the flowers are pale blue, although getting paler into the centre. The flowers have 5 petals, which sometimes have veins. The stamens have pink-purple stalks with dark purple anthers.

Several cultivars are available for garden use, of which 'Mrs Kendall Clark'[5] and 'Plenum Violaceum'[6] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7]

  • 'Mrs Kendal Clark'
    'Mrs Kendal Clark'

Uses

Geranium pratense is a melliferous herb. Its nectar secretion is 1.3 – 1.5 mg/24 hrs. with a sugar content (sugar concentration) of 57 – 71 %.[8]

References

  1. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ^ NRCS. "Geranium pratense". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  3. ^ Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 04656 4
  4. ^ Brickell, Christopher, ed. (2008). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 476. ISBN 9781405332965.
  5. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geraium pratense 'Mrs Kendal Clark'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium pratense 'Plenum Violaceum'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 42. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  8. ^ Haragsim, Oldřich (2007). Včelařské byliny. (Melliferous herbs) (in Czech) (1st ed.). Praha, Czech Republic: Grada Publishing, a.s. p. 39. ISBN 9788024721576.


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