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Flower for Id- ID14092015SH3 : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (1)
Flower for Id pl. Is it Geranium maculatum ?
Location – Near Rampur, Himachal Pradesh
Date- 23.08.2015

Habitat –Wild


Do you have any other pictures ? If so, pl. post.


It is extremely difficult to identify a plant with so little information that a side-view of a flower only provides.  No foliage or overall impression.
Yes, it is a Geranium.  Not sure why you thought it might be Geranium maculatum?  This is a North American species – which I have seed in NE US – not that its flowers are close. I could go through the likely species of geranium recorded from the region it was photographed and perhaps narrow it down but one really needs photos would provide more details/characteristics.
Please, on future occasions take several photos (at least) for all plants showing the habitat, habit, close-up of petals and sepals plus foliage.  In addition:

I consider it will be helpful for keen photographers, willing to make an additional effort, to know which parts of Geranium to photograph.  Having images of such parts of each geranium will greatly aid identification and enhance our understanding of the genus in the Himalaya – and perhaps you can help with the locating and identification of a species new-to-science!

PHOTOGRAPHING GERANIUMS: IF only the first one or two flowers have come out don’t bother to collect as the form of inflorescence will not be evident.
The rootstock is important; get enough to show whether compact or creeping, or annual.  You can photograph the base of the plant which should provide this information.  Clearly, one requires permission from the authorities to uproot a plant.  There is still  a need and indeed role for the collection of pressed specimens for herbaria in India but that is primarily the domain of staff of botanic gardens/ institutions. 
 In the early stages of flowering look out for the best-developed unripe fruits available. 
 If fruit is ripe try to include both dehisced and undehisced states. 
 If the fruits are falling with the seeds inside them, collect some (many geraniums disperse their seed explosively but some seed is often retained). 
Include some loose petals when pressing (detach if necessary).  Expose stamens to show filament shape and hairs by taking 2 or 3 sepals off a flower from which petals have recently dropped. 
Smoothing out one or two leaves and flowers as you close the press may be helpful; a few separately pressed basal and lower/middle stem leaves are often useful. 
Wilted specimens can be very misleading. 
Notes should be taken as to flower posture, colour and patterning of petals, colour of stigmas, anthers and distal parts of filaments (not necessary if your photos show these). 
And don’t forget to ensure the stipules are clearly shown – something that would have been obviously in pressed specimens, so not mentioned above by Yeo.


 
 
 
 

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