Geranium pratense | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Geraniales |
Family: | Geraniaceae |
Genus: | Geranium |
Species: | G. pratense |
Binomial name | |
Geranium pratense L. |
Geranium pratense, the meadow crane's-bill or meadow geranium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and Asia. 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.
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' and 'Plenum Violaceum' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
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 %.
References
- BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- NRCS. "Geranium pratense". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- 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
- Brickell, Christopher, ed. (2008). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 476. ISBN 9781405332965.
- "RHS Plant Selector - Geraium pratense 'Mrs Kendal Clark'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium pratense 'Plenum Violaceum'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 42. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- Haragsim, Oldřich (2007). Včelařské byliny. (Melliferous herbs) (in Czech) (1st ed.). Praha, Czech Republic: Grada Publishing, a.s. p. 39. ISBN 9788024721576.
Taxon identifiers | |
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Geranium pratense |
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