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Trees- ShrubsDovesfoot Cranesbill (Geranium molle)
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Geranium spp. belong to the Family Geranicaea. There are around 422 species within the genus Geranium. Closely related species include Erodium cicutarium and G. tuberosum. G. molle is a branched, rather weak plant that often spreads to 40 cm or more. It has small pinkish flowers (1) that have a deep notch in each, usually only four to 4.5 mm long (2). The flowers are hermaphrodite (3). The leaf blades cut to more than half their width and form into narrow lobes (4).
It is a hairy annual which is pollinated by insects and flowers between May and August (4).
It is a generalist in relation to the soil conditions it can grow in. It is adept in soils of all acidities and is capable of growing in sandy, loamy and clay based soils. However it needs dry or moist soil and it cannot grow in the shade (3). Geranium molle is found in fields, lawns, rocky slopes, grassy open ground and roadsides.
It is native to Europe (4).
Description written by Lilli Lehtinen (2009)
(1) Polunin. O., and Huxley. A. (1970) Flowers of the Mediterranean, Chatto and Windus Ltd, London
(2) Blamey. M., and Grey-Wilson. C. (1993) Mediterranean wild flowers, Harper Collins Publishers, Great Britain
(3) Plants For A Future (2000) Geranium molle [online] Available:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Geranium+molle [date accessed: 06/05/2009]
(4) Missouri Plants (2007) Geranium molle L., Dovesfoot Cranesbill [online] Available:
http://www.missouriplants.com/Pinkalt/Geranium_molle_page.html [date accessed: 06/05/2009]
