Tags
Cut-Leaved crane’s-bill, Druce’s crane’s-bill, geranium, Geranium dissectum, Geranium pratense, Geranium x oxonianum, Meadow crane's-bill
I’ve always loved geraniums, of the easy-to-grow vibrant-colour-in-a-terracotta-pot pretend-you’re-in-the-Mediterranean variety, but here in Britain there are wild native geraniums that are just as gorgeous but rather tricky to identify. This seems partly to be because you can’t always tell those that are truly wild from those that are garden escapees, cultivated from birds’ droppings or windblown seeds. And the local geraniums also seem to hybridise easily – check out this chart – so, when I look up the various identification guides, the flowers and leaves I see don’t quite fit with what the books and websites show.
Here, then, are some photos of geraniums, which may or may not include Meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) and Cut-Leaved crane’s-bill (Geranium dissectum) and Druce’s crane’s-bill (Geranium x oxonianum), or possibly something else entirely!
Lovely sweet flowers. I recognise meadow and the cut-leaved one and you are right, they are not easy to ID.
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I’m glad it’s not just me. 🙂
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Love love love geraniums, especially herbaceous varieties of which there are also many .. good luck with your idents!!
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Ah, yes, the local park / gardens has lots of the herbaceous varieties – make a lovely show. I’ve nailed the Meadow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) because of its bluish hue but those pink/lilac ones will remain unnamed for now. 🙂
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These are lovely. I wasn’t aware of their tremendous variety.
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Thanks, Belinda. Just a little too much variety for my poor brain to handle. 😉
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I tend to think of Geraniums as flowers that one buys and keeps on a windowsill, so it’s good to get another angle on them! And – lovely pics!
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And here was me thinking you might be able to enlighten me with some local identifications, Val. 😉
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Sadly,no. I’m not very good with flower I.D. unless it’s something I know very well.
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I’m learning … slowly … but there are so many species it takes time. 🙂
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