Geraniaceae “The Geranium Family” By Jerry Warmbold

Geraniaceae 7 to 10 genera's 2 Found in Minnesota Geranium Erodium With a total of ~800 species

Geraniaceae Characteristics Herbs or shrubs Leaves alternate or opposite, simple to pinnately or palmately compound, and lobed Most often stipulate Synoecious Inflorescence of cymose umbels, rarely solitary flowers or compound cymes Flowers perfect, regular, or irregular Sepals 5, 4, or 8; distinct or basally connate Petals 5 (0, 2, 4, or 8) and distinct Stamens 5-15 distinct or filaments basally connate Carpels 5 (3-8), and connate Superior ovary Schizocarp fruit Edible when plant is young, but dried mericarps can injure livestock Most often 5 merous A schizocarp is a dry fruit that develops from multiple carpels. When mature it splits up into mericarps. Mericarps are often 1-seeded as in, for example, Malva, Malvastrum, and Sida. In others, for example, in Abutilon, the mericarps have two or more seeds. The mericarp is either: Dehiscent (splits open to release the seed), for example members of the genus Geranium. This is similar to what happens with a capsule, but with an extra stage. Indehiscent (remaining closed), such as in the carrot or in members of the genus Malva. Irrregular flowers are flowers with petals that are dissimilar in shape

Geranium maculatum Wild Geranium Low perennial herb Dicot Leaves in colonies of long petioled, palmately cleft, gland tipped, basal leaves flowers in pairs, Petals pink/purple and longer than the calyx Crane’s bill fruits , splitting into curly segments Flowers from April – June Found in rocky open woods, thickets, and ravines Pubescent stem http://www.swsbm.com/Images/Walcott/Geranium_maculatum.jpg

Geranium maculatum http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GEMA&photoID=gema_008_ahp.tif http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GEMA&photoID=gema_010_ahp.tif http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculatum_leaves.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculatum_page.html&usg=__m6JerZn5LwYBLg1Rh3bQJoilHuU=&h=550&w=430&sz=36&hl=en&start=3&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=CqkvM8jkhR5pYM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3DGeranium%2Bmaculatum%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1

References Walters, Dirk., Keil, David., Murrell, Zack. 2006. Vascular Plant Taxonomy . 5th ed. U.S.: Kendall/Hunt. 180. Print. http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Geranium_maculatum_page.html