Geranium sanguineum, common name bloody crane's-bill[1][2] or bloody geranium, is a species of hardy flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the cranesbill family Geraniaceae.[3] It is the county flower of Northumberland.[4]
| Geranium sanguineum | |
|---|---|
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| Geranium sanguineum on the Northumberland coast | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Geraniales |
| Family: | Geraniaceae |
| Genus: | Geranium |
| Species: | G. sanguineum
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| Binomial name | |
| Geranium sanguineum | |
| Synonyms | |
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Etymology
editThe genus name is derived from the Greek γέρανος ("géranos"), meaning crane, with reference to the fruit capsule resembling the bird's bill. The specific Latin name sanguineum means 'blood-red'; Linnaeus cites Gaspard Bauhin's 1623 book Pinax theatri botanici as his source for the name, which in turn refers ("sanguinaria radix") to a blood-red root.[5]
Description
editGeranium sanguineum has a hemicryptophyte plant life-form, with its overwintering buds situated just below the soil surface, and the floral axis more or less erect with a few leaves. It has a thick rhizome. The stems are prostrate to ascending, well developed, much branched, and hairy. It reaches on average 30–50 centimetres (12–20 in) in height.[6] The petiolate leaves have five lobes (or segments), each segment is tripartite with large teeth. The flowers are produced singly (not in clusters, as in many other Geranium species), 2.5–4 cm diameter, with petals 12–18 mm wide, and are bright crimson.[7] The flowering period extends from May to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects (entomophily). The most common flower visitors are Syrphidae and Hymenoptera, but also butterflies and Coleoptera. The fruit is a schizocarp that breaks up into five mericarps when ripe.[6]
Distribution
editGeranium sanguineum is native to most of temperate to subarctic Europe and western Asia.[8] It is also frequent as a garden escape away from native sites.[1]
Habitat
editIt typically occurs in grassland, being particularly abundant on coastal sand dunes,[9] but also in open woodland on calcareous soils, including rocky slopes. It prefers a neutral pH, with low nutritional value, at altitudes from 0 to 1,200 metres (0 to 3,937 ft) above sea level.[6]
Cultivation
editIt is cultivated as a garden subject, and a number of different cultivars exist. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:[10]
Gallery
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Fruits showing mericarps -
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Autumn leaves -
'Striatum'
_Geranium_sanguineum_-_Flower_and_leaf_-_Les_Martels,_Giroussens_Tarn.jpg)
References
edit- ^ a b P.A. Stroh; T. A. Humphrey; R.J. Burkmar; O.L. Pescott; D.B. Roy; K.J. Walker, eds. (2020). "Bloody Crane's-bill Geranium sanguineum L." BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020. Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Geranium sanguineum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ "Bloody crane's-bill | Plant & fungi species | Wild plants". www.plantlife.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
- ^ Bauhin, Gaspard (1623). Pinax theatri botanici. Basileae Helvet. p. 318.
- ^ a b c Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 6
- ^ Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. Collins Flower Guide. Harper Collins ISBN 9-78-000718389-0
- ^ POWO. "Geranium sanguineum L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ Swan, George A. (1993). Flora of Northumberland. Hancock Museum: Natural History Society of Northumbria. p. 161. ISBN 0 9520782 0 1.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 42. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium sanguineum 'Album'". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium sanguineum 'Ankum's Pride'". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Geranium sanguineum 'Aviemore'". Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Geranium sanguineum 'Little Bead'". Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium sanguineum 'Shepherd's Warning'". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Geranium sanguineum var. striatum". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Geranium sanguineum var. striatum 'Splendens'". RHS. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
