Geranium L.

Herbs, erect, diffuse or procumbent, annual or perennial; joints swollen. Leaves opposite, petiolate, orbicular and palmately lobed or of triangular outline and divided to base into 3 or 5 pinnatifid segments. Peduncles 1 - 2-flowered, axillary, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, regular, usually5-merous. Sepals 5, free, ending in a short pointed tip. Petals 5, free, clawed, alternate with 5 nectariferous glands. Stamens (5-) 10,5 long and alternate with 5 short ones; staminodes occasional; filaments flattened, united at base. Receptacle prolonged upwards into a persistent 5-grooved tapering column. Carpels usually 5, adnate, separating septifragally from central axis. Fruits schizocarpic consisting of 5 mericarps which remain attached to an elastically coiling stylar axis upwards; mericarps without apical pits.

Mainly distributed in the N. Hemisphere but also in tropics; ca 400 species; 27 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves divided to base; diacharaed mericarps plumed

21. Geranium robertianum

b. Leaves not divided quite to base; mericarps not plumed

2

2a. Ribs of sepals carinate and with transverse inter-connections

8. Geranium lucidum

b. Ribs of sepals neither carinate nor with transverse inter-connections

3

3a. Calyx without glandular hairs

4

b. Calyx with glandular hairs

8

4a. Sepals (including mucro) 5 - 6(-7) mm long; petals less than 10 mm long

5

b. Sepals (including mucro) 6.5 mm long, or more; pelals more than 11 mm long

6

5a. Leaf-segments narrow, rhomboid, acute; inflorescence more or less diffuse; peduncles usually 1-flowered; sepal-awn 1 - 2 mm long

24. Geranium sibiricum

b. Leaf-segments broad, rhomboid, obtuse-acute; infloreacence diffuse; peduncles usually 2-flowered; 11- sepal-awn less than 1 mm long

11. Geranium nepalense

6a. Peduncles 1-flowered

10. Geranium nakaoanum

b. Peduncles 2-flowered

7

7a. Leaf-division subtruncate; stipules free

5. Geranium donianum

b. Leaf-division acute or acuminate; stipules united in pairs

27. Geranium wallichianum

8a. Sepals (including mucro) less than 9 mm long

9

b. Sepals (including mucro) more than 10 mm long

18

9a. Leaf-divisions tapered distally; stigmas 3.5 - 4.5 mm long

16. Geranium procurrens

b. Leaf-divisions subtruncate; stigma less than 15 mm long

10

10a. Annuals

13

b. Perennials

11

11a. Rhizomes elongated; peduncles bearing clultera of flowers amongst uppermost involucre-like leaves

14. Geranium polyanthes

b. Rhizomes tuberous; peduncles not bearing clustera of flowers amongst uppermost leaves

12

12a. Plants 30 - 60 cm high; petals 13 - 15 mm long; filaments densely long-ciliate; beak: ca 2.5 cm long

26. Geranium tuberaria

b. Plants up to 25 cm high; petals 8 - 11 mm long; filamenls pubeacenl; beak ca 1.2 cm long

1. Geranium charlesii

13a. Petals with relatively larger black basal spot

12. Geranium ocellatum

b. Petals without basal spot

14

14a. Mericarps hairy, not extensively ribbed

15

b. Mericarp hairless, closely ribbed

17

15a. Mericarps transversely rugose, separating without a stylar beak

4. Geranium divaricatum

b. Mericarps not transversely rugose and with long stylar beak

16

16a. Leaves orbicular-reniform, crenate; seeeds prominently reticulate

22. Geranium rotundifolium

b. Leaves palmatifid or -partite into 3 - 7, seeds smooth

17. Geranium pusillum

17a. Petals 4 - 6 mm long

9. Geranium molle

b. Petals 14 - 16 mm long

20. Geranium regelii

18a. Sepals and petals slightly reflexed; petals 2 - 3 times as long as broad

19. Geranium refrectum

b. Sepals and petals subpatent; petals not more than 1 times as long as broad

19

19a. Stamens densely clothed with long white hairs; gynoecium blackish; stigmas ca 5 mm long

7. Geranium lambertii

b. Stamens with fine forwardly directed hairs; gynoecium pinkish; stigmas 2.5 - 4 mm long

20

20a. Stems erect or ascending; pedicels short, deflexed in fruits

21

b. Stems diffuse ascending; pedicels long, spreading

23

21a. Stems ascending; petals up to 28 mm long; ripe fruits 40 - 47 mm long

6. Geranium himalayense

b. Stems erect; petals not more than ca 20 mm long; ripe fruits not more than 38 mm long

22

22a. Inflorescence compact; pedices. shorter than calyx; flowers 3.5 - 4.5 cm across; immature fruits reflexed

15. Geranium pratense

b. Intloreacence lax with longer pedicels; flowers 4.2 - 4.8 cm across; immature fruits slightly nodding

2. Geranium clarkei

23a. Leaves much deeply dissected; segments narrow, 4 - 5 mm broad

13. Geranium pamiricum

b. Leaves not much deeply dissected; segments more than 5 mm broad

24

24a. Petal-base pubescent on adaxial surface

25. Geranium swatense

b. Petal-base ciliate

25

25a. Leaves orbicular-angled, 5 - 7-palmati-partite; sepal-awn 1 - 2 mm long; petals lilac-rose sometimes white; seeds ca 2.5 mm long

3. Geranium collinum

b. Leaves 5-angled; sepal-awn 2 - 4 mm long; petals pink; seeds ca 3 mm long

26

26a. Leaves membranous; stipules rarely 2-fid; pedicels and peduncles appressed pubescent(rarely sparse-glandular)

18. Geranium rectum

b. Leaves not membranous; stipules often 2-fid; pedicels and peduncles with stiff erect glandular hairs

23. Geranium rubifolium

List of Lower Taxa