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 roughly 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and 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]

Geranium pratense
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

Description

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.

Distribution

It is native to much of Europe and Asia, but is cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.[5][2]

Cultivars

Several cultivars are available for garden use, of which 'Mrs Kendall Clark'[6] and 'Plenum violaceum'[7] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

Names

Meadow cranesbill is its most common name, although other names include 'meadow crane's-bill' and 'meadow geranium'.

References
  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. "Geranium pratense". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. 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. "Geranium pratense". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  6. "RHS Plant Selector - Geraium pratense 'Mrs Kendal Clark'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium pratense 'Plenum violaceum'". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  8. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 42. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
Geranium pratense 'Mrs. Kendall Clark' showing flower detail


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