Geraniaceae

“The Geranium Family”

By Jerry Warmbold

Geraniaceae

• 7 to 10 genera's • 2 Found in Minnesota– Geranium – Erodium

With a total of ~800 species

GeraniaceaeCharacteristics

• Herbs or shrubs• Leaves alternate or opposite, simple to pinnately or palmately

compound, and lobed • Most often stipulate • Synoecious • Inflorescence of cymose umbels, rarely solitary flowers or compound

cymes • Flowers perfect, regular, or irregular • Sepals 5, 4, or 8; distinct or basally connate• Petals 5 (0, 2, 4, or 8) and distinct• Stamens 5-15 distinct or filaments basally connate• Carpels 5 (3-8), and connate • Superior ovary • Schizocarp fruit • Edible when plant is young, but dried mericarps can injure livestock

Geranium maculatumWild Geranium

• Low perennial herb• Dicot • Leaves in colonies of long petioled, palmately cleft, gland tipped, basal leaves• flowers in pairs, • Petals pink/purple and longer than the calyx • Crane’s bill fruits , splitting into curly segments

•Flowers from April – June •Found in rocky open woods, thickets, and ravines•Pubescent stem

http://www.swsbm.com/Images/Walcott/Geranium_maculatum.jpg

Geranium maculatum

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculatum_leaves.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculatum_page.html&usg=__m6JerZn5LwYBLg1Rh3bQJoilHuU=&h=550&w=430&sz=36&hl=en&start=3&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=CqkvM8jkhR5pYM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGeranium%2Bmaculatum%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GEMA&photoID=gema_008_ahp.tif

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GEMA&photoID=gema_010_ahp.tif

References • Walters, Dirk., Keil, David., Murrell, Zack. 2006. Vascular

Plant Taxonomy . 5th ed. U.S.: Kendall/Hunt. 180. Print.• http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculat

um_page.html