Cranesbills

Cranesbills
	Meadow cranesbill ( Geranium pratense )
Systematics
	Nuclear eudicotyledons
	Rosids
	Eurosiden II
Order :	Cranesbill (geraniales)
Family :	Cranesbill family (Geraniaceae)
Genre :	Cranesbills
Scientific name
	Geranium
	L.

The cranesbills or geraniums (singular geranium from Greco-Latin geranium ) are with 380 to 430 species the most species-rich genus of the plant family of the cranesbill family ( Geraniaceae ). They are common on all continents.

Species and varieties of the genus Geranium have been cultivated as ornamental plants since at least the 16th century, and species and especially varieties can be found in countless gardens and parks.

Geraniums and geraniums

Until the late 18th century, pelargoniums, popular as bedding and balcony plants, were also included in the Geranium genus . This is indicated by the term geranium , which is still used today in colloquial speech and in general trade for these plants , but is botanically incorrect. Because geraniums ( Geranium ) and pelargonium ( Pelargonium ) are two different genera within the cranesbill family, which are closely related. There are a few types of geraniums that, like pelargoniums, are characterized by soft, felty stems and large round leaves and thus look very similar to the species of this genus. One of the differences between the two genera is: Geranium has radial symmetry flowers and Pelargonium has zygomorphic flowers.

distribution

Cranesbills - at home all over the world

Geranium sessiliflorum is one of the cranesbillspecies that are nativeto New Zealand and Tasmania

Cranesbill species are found on all continents and even in the Arctic and Antarctic . They are also found in South Africa , Taiwan , Indonesia , New Guinea , Australia , Tasmania , New Zealand , the Hawaiian Islands, the Azores and Madeira , although the cooler-weather geraniums in these regions usually grow in mountainous regions.

Geranium species require a cool, temperate climate. Since there is seldom drought in such areas of the earth, many of the cranesbill species are well adapted to moist soils. Due to this need for moisture, annual geranium species predominate in the warmer regions of their range, which usually grow in winter and rest as seeds in summer.

Adjustments to the location of native cranesbills in Central Europe

Most cranesbill species prefer clay soils rich in bases and nitrogen salts. They often colonize wasteland, root crop fields, gaps in bushes and cleared areas.

Within this range of locations, the native cranesbills show species-specific adaptations. The blood-red cranesbill grows in Europe as far as Asia Minor in the sunny and light forest edge areas and can also cope with dry soils. The meadow cranesbill , whose distribution area stretches from Europe to Central Asia and Siberia , is more likely to be found in cool, damp locations and grows preferentially in the damp depressions of meadows and ditches. The forest cranesbill , which can be found from Europe to West Asia , grows there in mixed forests that are moist to the ground, on fresh to moist mountain meadows and tall herbaceous meadows.

Cranesbills as neophytes, archaeophytes and adventitious plants

Because of their popularity as garden plants, cranesbill species have now been introduced to many countries where they were not originally native. The round-leaved cranesbill , which is occasionally found in vineyards in Central Europe , was probably originally native to the Mediterranean region. Today it is distributed almost worldwide.

In some countries the cranesbill species have found such good starting conditions that they have become wild to a very large extent and are in some cases viewed as bio-invaders. The Ruprecht's weed, which is native to Central Europe, is now classified as an undesirable weed on the west coast of the USA . The Pyrenean cranesbill , which is occasionally found on roadsides in Central Europe, is also to be regarded as a so-called neophyte . In contrast to Ruprecht's herb, which is not well seen in the USA, it tends to eke out a niche existence in Central Europe.

The Central European archaeophytes , on the other hand, include the slit-leaved cranesbill . This cranesbill species, which grows on clay soil containing alkaline and nitrogen salts, was originally native to the Mediterranean area and is one of the hemerochoric plants that were probably brought to Central Europe by the first farmers via seed contamination (so-called Speirochorie ).

The spreading cranesbill is only occasionally transported from its area of origin, the warm valleys of the western and southern Alps such as the Wallis and Valtellina, to Central Europe in the form of seeds (so-called agochory ). He is then able to temporarily establish himself at the new location. It is therefore one of the so-called adventitious plants .

Illustration: Brown cranesbill ( Geranium phaeum )

Naming, description and ecology

The German name “Storchschnabel” appears incomprehensible at first glance at the flowering plant. However, the fruit cluster explains the name: the elongated, peculiarly shaped fruit clusters are reminiscent of the stork's beak . The botanical name Geranium is also based on the shape of the fruit heads; it can be traced back to the Greek word "géranos" (crane). In German, the plant Storchschnabel was also called crane's beak earlier .

The plant

Cranesbill species are mostly perennial , rarely one- or two-year herbaceous plants , few species are subshrubs or shrubs . They contain essential oils . Cranesbill species grow bushy or clumpy. In the wild, the large leaves of geraniums and their often large widths ensure that they receive a relatively large amount of nutrients and water in their location compared to competing plant species. Like all family members of the cranesbill family, cranesbill species have articulated stems that often have glandular hairs . Some species, such as the Balkan cranesbill, are almost evergreen, while others such as the Basque cranesbill form large, rounded “mounds of leaves” during their flowering period, which rot during the winter months.

The leaves

The alternate or opposite, stalked leaves are designed differently depending on the species. In some species the leaf resembles the round shape found in the pelargonium species, but in most species it is five-part and each leaf lobe is strongly indented. Geranium purpureum , for example, has heavily divided leaves ; in this species each leaf is divided into five lobes, the division extending to the leaf axis. In addition, each leaf is lobed at the top. This leaf shape, which is typical for many of the geranium species, is botanically known as deeply pinnate.

In most species, the leaves are a single dark green color, in only a few species there are different shades of green in the leaf color. Geranium sessiliflorum, native to New Zealand and Tasmania, has the darkest leaves . In some varieties of this species, the unusual leaf color has been deepened, it is almost dark purple.

Stipules are present.

Cultivar of the meadow cranesbill with blue petals

The blossoms

The flowers are rarely single, usually in pairs. There is usually a long flower stalk. This enables the geraniums in their natural locations to compete with the mostly other plant species that grow at the same height by which they are surrounded and in this way ensure their pollination .

The hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five green, free and often hairy sepals always have a protruding tip. The sepals first enclose the flower bud. When the fruit develops from the flower after pollination, the sepals enlarge and protect the roots of the resulting large fruit. The five free petals are nailed in some species. The color of the petals of the cranesbills ranges from white to pink and purple to a bright blue. In many species and varieties, a clear grain of the petals can be seen. There are two circles with five stamens each, they are all fertile ; in the other genera of the family part of the stamens is reduced to staminodes . The edges of the stamens are hairy. The mostly five nectaries of the disc alternate with the petals, rarely they are united in a ring. Five carpels have become a top permanent ovary grown. The stylus ends in five pits.

Flowering diagram of Geranium pratense

The flower formula is: ${\ displaystyle \ star K_ {5} \; C_ {5} \; A_ {5 + 5} \; G _ {\ underline {(5)}}}$

In contrast to the sepal, each individual flower corolla is rounded at the end in the majority of species. The shape of the flower, on the other hand, can vary depending on the species. The flowers of the forest cranesbill are disc flowers, whereas the flower shape of the Ruprecht's herb growing in deciduous areas and on rubble sites is called funnel flowers . Accordingly, different insects are also involved in pollination. The flowers of the forest cranesbill with the easily accessible nectar are visited by hover flies , bees and butterflies . On the other hand, only long-nosed bees and butterflies get to the nectar of Ruprecht's cabbage.

Illustration of the forest cranesbill - its flowers provide easily accessible nectar

The fruit

Both the scientific name Geranium and the German name Storchschnabel refer to the shape of the long-stalked fruit, in which one can recognize the head and the elongated neck of a stork or crane . The fruit is made up of five very long carpels that only have two ovules lying one above the other at the base . But only one of these is developing. The upper, sterile part (the stylus) grow as a long "beak", united on a carpophor . Botanically, it is a split fruit , as it splits into five fruit compartments with long awns when ripe . Each of these five partial fruits contains a seed. These are spread in all species by the explosive bursting of the drying beak ( catapult fruit ). In the forest cranesbill, for example, the five fruit fans suddenly roll up from the central column and from each other and up. The seed is hurled away like a catapult up to 3 meters.

With this spreading mechanism, geraniums are among the so-called desiccation spreaders (botanically also called ballochore autochory ).

Herpochoria can also be observed in Ruprecht's cabbage . While the Herpochorie at the Pasque and the closely related genus of erodium a strategy to Nahausbreitung is, it serves to the diasporas to provide optimal launch conditions: after the seed of Ruprecht herb was thrown through the mechanism described above explosively far up to six meters, the seeds dig themselves into the earth using hygroscopic movements. This is due to the fact that the seeds expand in wet weather and contract again in dry weather.

Cranesbills as a medicinal plant

Namely, Geranium mentioned in the ancient writings, but not these are cranesbill species. Hildegard von Bingen, on the other hand, like Paracelsus , clearly mentions Ruprecht's herb as a medicinal plant. Mixed with rue and pennyroyal should strengthen the heart and merry making. Ruprecht's herb is also mentioned in numerous medieval books on medicinal plants such as those by Hieronymus Bock and Tabernaemontanus - as is the blood-red cranesbill from time to time. These plants were also used in folk medicine for jaundice , bleeding , malignant ulcers, and externally for lichen and rash . A tea of Ruprecht's herb should help against childlessness.

Even today, Ruprecht's herb is still counted among the medicinal plants. The tannins contained in the plant with their astringent and anti-inflammatory effects explain some indications such as the recommendation to use Ruprecht's herb tea for rinsing and gargling with inflammation in the throat. Geranium also proves to be a good remedy for earache by sticking a fresh leaf of the plant in your ear and letting it work there until the pain disappears.

The remedy Geranium odoratissimum used in homeopathy , on the other hand, is not made from cranesbill species, but from the cranesbill plant Pelargonium odoratissimum .

Cranesbills as a garden plant

The discovery of the geranium species for the garden

Subgenus Erodioideae : The brown cranesbill is also known as “Mourning Widow” (“Mourning Widow”) in England and was once very popular as a cemetery plant

Subgenus Geranium Section Batrachioidea : Until the middle of the 19th century, the Pyrenean cranesbill was often planted in gardens - since then it has been replaced by larger-flowered species as a garden plant

Geranium platypetalum , one of the parent species of the geranium hybrid, magnificent cranesbill , which is very popular today as a garden plant

The establishment of cranesbill species as garden ornamental plants followed a pattern that is typical for many plant species. First, Ruprecht's herb and blood-red cranesbill, two species that were considered medicinal plants, were cultivated in the garden. Other predominantly native species without ascribed medicinal properties, but which were larger-flowered, can be documented as ornamental plants as early as the 16th century. The native brown cranesbill has been recorded as a garden plant in Germany as early as 1561. The Hortus Eystettensis from 1613 even names the first cultivated forms for him and for the blood-red cranesbill.

With the 18th and 19th centuries, the species were added that are native to more distant regions. In the case of the cranesbills, these are mainly the species that were widespread in the southern European mountains. In the 19th century, special forms of garden beds such as rock gardens also became popular. During this time, the blood-red cranesbill became a very popular ornamental plant.

In the 20th century, the range of cranesbill species cared for in the garden was expanded to include a few species from other continents and numerous cultivars that met the increasing need for plants that were easy to care for and at the same time decorative.

The popularity of the individual species is still subject to different fashions today. The once very popular brown cranesbill with its dark flower color has now largely gone out of fashion in Central Europe. In England, however, this species can still be found wild in old village cemeteries, where they used to be planted as " Mourning Widow " (= mourning widow) as grave decorations.

The Pyrenean cranesbill is also a species rarely used in gardens today, although several cultivated forms were already on the market by the end of the 18th century. It was increasingly ousted from the gardens after larger-flowered and therefore more attractive cranesbills were discovered. However, it has overgrown the gardens and can still be found as a naturalized plant on hedges and in the green spaces along streets.

In contrast, the Basque cranesbill, which can now be found more frequently in gardens , only became popular in Germany in the 20th century, after a number of robust forms and hybrids were bred, especially in England - where it has been planted in gardens since 1832.

On the other hand, the Balkan cranesbill has found a longer lasting appreciation than the three above-mentioned species . It used to be used to extract geranium oil for making perfumes ; For the production of this essential oil, however, pelargonium species are used today. The Balkan cranesbill is mentioned for the first time as a garden plant in 1576 and has spread very quickly since then. Today it is especially popular as a so-called "urban green" planted under street trees, as it tolerates shade very well and the intensely fragrant plant is not bitten by rabbits and keeps dogs away.

Garden Geranium Hybrid ( Geranium × magnificum )

One of the most common geraniums found in the garden today is the hybrid Geranium × magnificum . When and where this large-flowered, strong-growing variety with the purple-violet flowers was created is no longer traceable. However, based on herbaria evidence, it is known that it was tended in the Geneva Botanical Garden as early as 1871. In 1961, the Swedish botanist Nils Hylander identified Geranium ibericum and Geranium platypetalum as the parents of this sterile hybrid and gave the variety its scientific name. It is believed that the parent species originally came from the Caucasus.

Use in the garden

The species of the genus Geranium are versatile in the garden. Almost all of them thrive in light shade and are therefore suitable for planting on the edge of the wood, but many of the species can withstand full sun. Some species bloom long and persistently, and many are beautifully colored in autumn. What they all have in common is that they are very robust and less susceptible to disease and are rarely attacked by pests. They are therefore the ideal plant for gardeners who can be used in rock gardens , in rubble beds , borders or natural gardens. The varieties that descend from the Balkan cranesbill are also particularly suitable as ground cover, which also grow well under trees. They are often combined with ferns there .

For most species suitable for borders, it makes sense to cut off the inflorescences after flowering has ended, as this encourages a second flowering. This is especially true of the Basque cranesbill , which is widespread in gardens today and likes to fall apart after flowering. The pruning also prevents the plants from getting powdery mildew , one of the few plant diseases to which the plants of this genus are occasionally susceptible. The pruning also means that the plants sprout again and thus develop new leaf scoops, some of which survive the winter. Many of the cranesbill species and varieties form flowers a second time after such a measure.

Which other plants the cranesbill species can be combined with depends on the respective variety. The flower colors are to be classified as bluish or cold colors, they should be combined with those plants whose flower color is also to be classified in this category. Many hybrid tea roses go very well with geranium species. They also harmonize very well with peonies , lady's mantle and phlox .

Propagation in the garden

All species and varieties can tolerate being divided during the growing season , which extends from May to August. Rooted parts will also grow well if they are planted immediately after dividing and watered regularly.

In particular, plants that have not been grafted in terms of breeding are easy to reproduce from seeds. You can use it to become dominant in the garden very quickly; Seedlings must therefore be weeded away regularly. This applies in particular to species native to Central Europe such as the meadow cranesbill .

Horticultural classification of cranesbill species

The blood-red cranesbill is one of the native cranesbills

The Herb was probably cultivated as one of the first cranesbill species in the garden

Cranesbill species that have a similar appearance are horticulturally divided into five groups.

The Sanguineum Group

One of the most beautiful cranesbill species is the blood-red cranesbill , which can cope well with more extreme site conditions such as dry or poorly nutrient-rich soil. About 40 varieties were bred from the wild form, one of the first being the white cultivated form Geranium sanguineum 'Album'. Other cultivated forms have retained the round flower shape. For example, like the 'Nigricans' variety, darker leaves have been grown for them or the dark veins of the flowers have been bred to a greater extent.

The Sanguineum group also includes Ruprecht's herb and the equally beautiful Basque cranesbill .

Forest geraniums

This group includes six European and Asian species, which are characterized by large, broad leaves and upright flowers, as well as all those varieties that are derived from them. In addition to the forest cranesbill Geranium sylvaticum , the parent species also include Geranium rivulare , Geranium pseudosibiricum , Geranium albiflorum , Geranium procurrens and Geranium psilostemon, which is striking due to its light red and dark center of the flower .

Meadow geraniums

The meadow geraniums are particularly popular in natural gardens. The most important ancestral forms of this group are the meadow cranesbill , the Himalayan cranesbill and Geranium clarkei . The swamp cranesbill native to Central Europe is also included in this group.

Geraniums of the Palmatum group

Geraniums, which are assigned to this group, are rarely found in Central European gardens because their trunk forms are sensitive to cold. These include Geranium palmatum and Geranium maderense , both of which are native to Madeira Island .

Geraniums of this group are characterized by a rosette of leaves, over which the flowers rise clearly.

Dark geraniums

The trunk forms of this group include the brown cranesbill as well as Geranium reflexum and Geranium aristatum . These dark geraniums are particularly valued in North America. Some cultivars, especially the brown cranesbill, are only available there.

Cranesbill in superstition

The conspicuous shape of the fruit in particular contributed to the use of cranesbill species in superstitious practices. Women who wanted children in vain were recommended to wear the cranesbill root as an amulet around their necks.

Section Anemonifolia : Madeira cranesbill ( Geranium maderense )

Dissecta section : slit-leaved cranesbill ( Geranium dissectum )

Geranium section : Swamp cranesbill ( Geranium palustre )

Geranium section : Round-leaved cranesbill ( Geranium rotundifolium )

Lucida section : Shiny cranesbill ( Geranium lucidum )

Ruberta section : Ruprecht's herb ( Geranium robertianum )

Tuberosa section : bulbous cranesbill ( Geranium tuberosum )

Systematics

The large genus Geranium is divided into two sub-genera with 18 sections:

Subgenus Erodioidea Yeo
- Section Aculeolata Yeo
- Brasiliensia section

Subgenus Geranium
- Section Anemonifolia
- Section Azorelloida Aedo, Muñoz Garm. & Pando
- Section Batrachioidea
- Dissecta Yeo section

species

There are around 380 to 430 species in the Geranium genus .

Central European species

16 species grow wild in Central Europe , many other species and their varieties are cultivated as rock garden plants or perennials .

Important species native to Central Europe are the blood-red cranesbill , which grows on lean soils, as well as the meadow cranesbill described in more detail above , the Ruprecht's herb ( Geranium robertianum ) , which occurs widely in shady places, and the swamp cranesbill ( Geranium palustre ).

Cranesbill species (selection)

The species of the genus cranesbill ( geranium ) include:

Silver cranesbill ( Geranium argenteum L. ): It occurs in France, Italy and in the former Yugoslavia.
Bohemian cranesbill ( Geranium bohemicum L. ): It occurs in Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus region.

Gray cranesbill ( Geranium cinereum Cav. )

Stone cranesbill ( Geranium columbinum L. )

Slit-leaved cranesbill ( Geranium dissectum L. )

Spreading cranesbill ( Geranium divaricatum Ehrh. ): It occurs in Europe, in the temperate zones of Asia and in India.

Basque cranesbill ( Geranium endressii Gay )

Himalayan cranesbill ( Geranium himalayense Klotzsch )

Shiny cranesbill ( Geranium lucidum L. )

Balkan cranesbill ( Geranium macrorrhizum L. )

Madeiran cranesbill ( Geranium maderense Yeo ): It occurs in Madeira.

Soft cranesbill ( Geranium molle L. )

Knot cranesbill ( Geranium nodosum L. ): It occurs in Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Serbia.

Marsh cranesbill ( Geranium palustre L. )

Brown cranesbill ( Geranium phaeum L. )

Meadow cranesbill ( Geranium pratense L. )

Black-eyed cranesbill ( Geranium psilostemon Ledeb. )
Purple cranesbill ( Geranium purpureum Vill. )
Little cranesbill ( Geranium pusillum L. )
Pyrenean cranesbill ( Geranium pyrenaicum Burm.f. )
Caucasus cranesbill ( Geranium renardii Trautv. ): It occurs in the Caucasus region.
Canary cranesbill ( Geranium reuteri Aedo & Muñoz Garm. , Syn .: Geranium canariense auct. Non (Willd.) Poir. )
Ruprechtskraut or Stinkender Cranesbill ( Geranium robertianum L. )
Round-leaved cranesbill ( Geranium rotundifolium L. )
Blood-red cranesbill ( Geranium sanguineum L. )
Siberian cranesbill ( Geranium sibiricum L. )
Forest cranesbill ( Geranium sylvaticum L. )
Tuberous cranesbill ( Geranium tuberosum L. )
Different colored cranesbill ( Geranium versicolor L. )

literature

Peter Frederick Yeo : Geranium - outdoor geraniums for gardens and parks. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8001-6362-4 .
Heinz-Dieter Krausch : Imperial crown and peonies red ... Discovery and introduction of our garden flowers. Dölling and Galitz, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-935549-23-7 .
John Feltwell: Geraniums and Pelargoniums. Augustus, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-8043-7217-1 .
Manfred Bocksch: The practical book of medicinal plants. blv, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-405-14937-1 .
Angelika Lüttig, Juliane Kasten: Rose hip & Co - blossoms, fruits and spread of European plants. Fauna, Nottuln 2003, ISBN 3-935980-90-6 .
Maria Lis-Balchin: Geranium and Pelargonium. Taylor & Francis, London 2002, ISBN 0-415-28487-2 .

Individual evidence

↑ Geranium , Geranium - Duden . Bibliographical Institute , 2016.
↑ Petrus Uffenbach (Ed.): Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbaei Kraeuterbuch ... (translated into German by Johannes Danzius), Frankfurt am Main (with Johann Bringern) 1610, p. 223.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Geranium in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved May 24, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Cranesbills ( Geranium ) - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

The subgenera with their species. ( Memento from February 16, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
Langran Xu, Carlos Aedo: Entry in the Flora of China , Volume 11. (Section Description)
Description in the Western Australian Flora . (engl.)

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on June 10, 2005 in this version .

[1] Geranium , Geranium - Duden . Bibliographical Institute , 2016.

[2] Petrus Uffenbach (Ed.): Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbaei Kraeuterbuch ... (translated into German by Johannes Danzius), Frankfurt am Main (with Johann Bringern) 1610, p. 223.

[GRIN-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Geranium in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved May 24, 2017.