Geranium pratense L.
meadow cranesbill
Hairy, perennial, rhizomatous herb, with thick rhizome or caulorrhiza and ± erect flowering stems to c. 50 cm long. Petioles of basal lvs long, usually red at base and apex; hairs directed downward. Lamina deeply palmately lobed, ± reniform, to c. 10 × 12 cm, densely hairy when young; lobes 5-7, pinnatifid to pinnatisect; ultimate segments ± acute. Cauline lvs much smaller than basal. Infl. very open, with a few pairs of fls; peduncles long; peduncles and pedicels densely covered in glandular hairs. Sepals 11-13 mm long including a short awn, densely covered in glandular hairs; margins hyaline; nerves reddish. Corolla saucer-shaped. Petals 18-24 × 12-17 mm, obovate, blue or deep blue with somewhat pinkish veins; claw very short; apex rounded. Filaments white, strongly dilated towards base; anthers blue. Ovary with glandular hairs. Ripe mericarps not seen.
N.: Kawau Id (N. Auckland); S.: Christchurch area, Ashburton area.
Temperate Eurasia 1877
Occasional cultivation escape in vicinity of gardens.
FL Oct-Feb-(Sep).
Meadow cranesbill is a commonly cultivated sp. in many parts of N.Z., especially in cooler areas of the South Id. Many apparently wild plants are really persistent relics of cultivation. This sp. is easily distinguished from all other spp. treated here by its large blue, pink-veined corolla and prominent red style and stigma, but is similar to 2 or 3 other cultivated spp.
