Geranium nodosum
Encyclopedia
Geranium nodosum, the Knotted Crane's Bill, is a perennial herbaceous
plant belonging to the Geraniaceae
family.
, a horizontal stem which each year develops shoots above and roots below.
Geranium nodosum reaches on average 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 ) in height, with a maximum of 50 centimetres (19.7 in). The stem is ascending, slender and branched, with a quite hairy surface. The leaves are petiolate and palmate, with three to five lobes (or segments) dividing the leaves more than half, although not completely. The leaf color is dark green on the upper surface, which is also hairless, and light green on the lower one, which is slightly pubescent. Each flower is borne on a long stalk. The five obovate petals are lilac-violet. The flowering period extends from June through August. The flowers are pollinated by insects (entomophily
). The fruit is a capsule consisting of five achene
s, with a pubescent surface.
, Giura and the Pyrenees
.
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
plant belonging to the Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae
Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus Geranium. It includes both the genus Geranium and the garden plants called geraniums, which modern botany classifies as genus Pelargonium, along with other related genera.There are...
family.
Description
Geranium nodosum is a rhizomatous geophyte (G Rhiz), i.e. a plant that propagates itself by means of buds below the soil surface. During the winter this plant has no aerial organs, consisting only of an underground reproductive structure called a rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, a horizontal stem which each year develops shoots above and roots below.
Geranium nodosum reaches on average 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 ) in height, with a maximum of 50 centimetres (19.7 in). The stem is ascending, slender and branched, with a quite hairy surface. The leaves are petiolate and palmate, with three to five lobes (or segments) dividing the leaves more than half, although not completely. The leaf color is dark green on the upper surface, which is also hairless, and light green on the lower one, which is slightly pubescent. Each flower is borne on a long stalk. The five obovate petals are lilac-violet. The flowering period extends from June through August. The flowers are pollinated by insects (entomophily
Entomophily
Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects. Several insect are reported to be responsible for the pollination of many plant species, particularly bees, Lepidoptera , wasps, flies, ants and beetles. Some plant species co-evolved with a particular pollinator, such...
). The fruit is a capsule consisting of five achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s, with a pubescent surface.
Distribution
This plant is native to southern Europe. It is present in the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Giura and the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.