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]
| 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
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| Binomial name | |
| Geranium pratense | |
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]
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'Mrs Kendal Clark'
Uses
editGeranium 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
edit- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Geranium pratense". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. 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.
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