Soft cranesbill

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Soft cranesbill
Soft cranesbill (Geranium molle)

Soft cranesbill ( Geranium molle )

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden II
Order : Cranesbill (geraniales)
Family : Cranesbill family (Geraniaceae)
Genre : Cranesbills ( geranium )
Type : Soft cranesbill
Scientific name
Geranium molle
L.

The Soft cranesbill ( Geranium molle ) is a plant from the family of geraniaceae (Geraniaceae).

description

The soft cranesbill is an annual herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 10 to 45 cm. It is very similar to the little cranesbill . The stem leaves are usually arranged alternately, their leaf blades are five to nine parts. There are stipules present.

The pairs of flowers are hermaphroditic, radial symmetry and five-fold. The five short-pointed, hairy, green sepals are usually 2.5 to 5.5 (1 to 6) mm long. The pink to purple-red colored petals are about 3 to 8.5 (rarely up to 10.5) mm long, deeply edged and longer than the calyx. The five nectaries form a ring. The scars are purple. The split fruit is 0.8 to 1.4 cm long. The fruit flaps are mostly bare and delicately wrinkled.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 26.

Occurrence

The soft cranesbill originally comes from the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions, but has meanwhile also become naturalized in other parts of Europe. It grows preferentially on sunny, loose lawns on cultivated and fallow land and sand dunes . It is mostly widespread on sandy soils, in relatively dry ruderal areas and sometimes disturbed meadows. The plant is also considered to be the human culture follower. It is also common in parts of West Asia and North America. The soft cranesbill occurs in Central Europe mainly in societies of the association Cynosurion, less often in those of the association Alliarion or the class Chenopodietea.

ecology

It hibernates for a year or is annual in summer. The flowering period extends from May to October. The often pre-male flowers are pollinated by hymenoptera . When the fruit ripens, the fruit flaps with the awns suddenly detach from the central column due to drying out. The awn curls up, separates from the fruit compartment and flings it away together with the seeds inside ( autochory ) or the seeds stick to animals and are carried away in this way. The soft cranesbill has roots up to 50 centimeters deep.

Taxonomy

The scientific name Geranium molle was first published by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum in 1753 .

photos

  • Foliage leaf
  • The flower stalks are hairy (glandular).
  • Back of the flower
  • The petals are deep and pointed.
  • Immature fruit flaps
  • ripe fruits
  • The fruit flaps are bare and clearly wrinkled.

swell

literature

  • Soft cranesbill. In: FloraWeb.de.
  • Langran Xu, Carlos Aedo: Geranium. In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 11: Oxalidaceae through Aceraceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2008, ISBN 978-1-930723-73-3 , pp. 13 (English, online ). (English)
  • Margot Spohn, Marianne Golte-Bechtle: What is blooming there? The encyclopedia: over 1000 flowering plants from Central Europe. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10326-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 627.
  2. ↑ Carl von Linné: Species Plantarum. Volume 2, Lars Salvius, Stockholm 1753, p. 682 ( digitized versionhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.biodiversitylibrary.org%2Fopenurl%3Fpid%3Dtitle%3A669%26volume%3D2%26issue%3D%26spage%3D682%26date%3D1753~GB%3D~ IA% 3D ~ MDZ% 3D% 0A ~ SZ% 3D ~ double-sided% 3D ~ LT% 3D ~ PUR% 3D ).

Web links

Commons : Soft cranesbill ( Geranium molle )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files