Geranium pratense
Meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense)
The Meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense) is a species of the genus Geranium (Geranium ) in the family of Geranium Family ( Geraniaceae ).
Features
The meadow cranesbill is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 20 to 80 centimeters. It is a deciduous Hemikryptophyt. On stems and petioles are downward hair, particularly the upper part and the flower stems are hairy glandular. The leaves are petiolate against permanent. The leaf blades are deeply divided palmate, their seven sections are sawn pinnatifid and deeply. Stipules are present.
The flowers are arranged in pairs. The flower stalks are bent downwards after flowering, recently erected often again. The hermaphrodite flowers are radial symmetry and fünfzählig. The five green sepals ( 0.7 ) is usually 1 to 1.2 cm long. The five petals are bright blue-violet and 15 to 22 millimeters long. There are two circles, each with five stamens present. The stamens are widened abruptly at the base triangular on usually 1.5 to 2 mm. Five carpels are fused into a superior ovaries. The stylus 5 to 8 mm long. The fruit of 3 to 3,7 cm long. The fruit are densely glandular hairy flaps.
The flowering period extends from June to August. The chromosome number is n = 14 and 2n = 28
Ecology
The meadow cranesbill is a perennial Hemikryptophyt and a half rosette plant. Because of sheet joints, the plants can be supported on other larger species than Scramblers. By means of the sheet joints is also an accurate alignment of the sheet surface to the largest possible light incidence through; this happens due to a photonasty. The plant is also rich glandular shaggy head hair by me essential oils. It also has a strong rhizome.
The flowers are strictly vormännliche " nectar leading disk flowers ". Your nectar is protected by a fringe of hair as "juice ceiling". First, spread the inner, then the outer stamens, and finally the stigma lobes. Besides hermaphrodite plants not infrequently find pure female plants with small flowers. The species is so gynodiözisch. The glandular pubescence of after flowering bent- stem flowers to keep up crawling insects as unwanted visitors. The life of the flowers is 2 days. Pollinators are particularly bees and hoverflies, rare butterflies. The species is an important honey plant the summer months and early autumn. A self-pollination is almost impossible. The flowering period extends from June to August.
The fruits are drying spreader. The seed is loose in the cup-shaped lower part of the fruit tray. His premature dropping out is prevented by projections or hairs. Then loosen the fruit trays suddenly from the central column from which seeds are catapult-like thrown up 2 meters. These people spread occurs by entrainment with the Mahdgut. The seeds are cold to germinate.
Occurrence
The Meadow cranesbill comes in Europe and Asia before in the meridional to boreal climate zone. He grazed his head and deposits on rich, mostly calcareous fresh meadows, his side occurrence in nutrient-rich herbaceous and perennial weeds corridors.
Swell
Geranium pratense. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Description in the Flora of China. (English )