Geranium macrorrhizum - Rock Crane's-bill

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Geraniales - Family: Geraniaceae

Description

Rock Crane's-bill can grow up to 50cm tall (but 15 to 30cm is more common). It has deep-pink five-petalled flowers typically 18 to 25mm across and borne in pairs or occasionally small clusters.

The rounded palmate downy leaves of Geranium macrorrhizum are divided more than half way into five to seven (typically six) lobes. The branching stems, often just 5 to 15cm tall but occasionally extending to 30cm, are also finely hairy. Various shades of pinkish purple, the flowers are 8 to 12mm across and have five deeply-divided veined petals. The fruits (seed capsules) of Dove's-foot Crane's-bill are beaked and ridged. In autumn the leaves and stems turn red.

Distribution

This alpine member of the (wild) Geranium family is an introduced species in some parts of Britain and Ireland. It is native to central and south-eastern Europe and the Balkans. (One of its alternative common names is Balkan Cranesbill.) Geranium macrorrhizum is fairly common in southern France, Slovenia, Italy and many other mountainous countries in central and south-east Europe.

Habitat

Rock Crane's-bill favours shaded rocky crevices with dryish shallow alkaline soils.

Blooming Times

In its native alpine locations Rock Crane's-bill can be seen in bloom from May until August, depending on altitude.

Etymology

Geranium, the genus name, comes from the Greek noun geranos, meaning Crane (birds of the group of species known as the Gruidae). It is a reference to the beak-like fruit (seed capsule) which is reminiscent of the long beak of a Crane. The specific epithet macrorrhizum means 'with large rhizomes' it apparently refers to large roots of this wildflower

Similar Species

Shining Cranesbill Geranium locidum is similar but has glabrous (hairless) shiny leaves and much smaller flowers.

The Rock Crane's-bill plants shown on this page were photographed in Slovenia at the end of May.

---

---

Please Help Us: If you have found this information interesting and useful, please consider helping to keep First Nature online by making a small donation towards the web hosting and internet costs.

Any donations over and above the essential running costs will help support the conservation work of Plantlife, the Rivers Trust and charitable botanic gardens - as do author royalties and publisher proceeds from books by Pat and Sue.