Geraniaceae

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Geraniaceae – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FAMILY OF THE WEEK : GERANIACEAE – indiantreepix | Google Groups

  

Balsaminaceae, Geraniaceae and Oxalidaceae Week: Similarities and Differences between the families: We will be covering 3 families as above during this family week.
As a non-botanist I had a curiosity to find similarities (and Differences) in the families. So I searched the family Key given in the floras.
These are some of my observations.
The ranks in the key above the families are somewhat mentioned.
…….Of course all the three families come under the group of Polypetalae.
…………….Next level is Sepals usually adnate to the ovary.
………………….Ovary superior. There is a prominent disc shaped thalamus below the ovary.
(Often called as Disciflorae-an artificial group)
The above characters are common to all the 3 families.
Now the differentiating characters :
a) Stamens as many as petals or fewer…
b) Flowers irregular, dorsal sepals spurred … … Balsaminaceae
b) Flowers regular; dorsal sepal not spurred … .. Geraniaceae
c) Stamens twice as many as petals or numerous…..Unarmed group….leaves not peltate
…disc not enlarged in fruit…leaves not gland dotted….(These characters eliminate other families in the group) …
…Flowers bisexual mostly herbs=====> Oxalidaceae.
Please correct me if there are any mistakes.

 

Balsaminaceae, Geraniaceae and Oxalidaceae Week: March 4-10, 2013—-Introduction : 5 posts by 4 authors.

A family with seven genera nearly 750 species mainly distributed in Temperate and subtropical regions.

The plants are usually herbs, rarely undershrubs, sometimes aromatic (Pelargonium), stems swollen at nodes, usually with stalked glandular hairs. Leaves alternate or opposite, simple or palmately lobed, or compound, venation palmate, reticulate, stipules conspicuous. Inflorescence cymose umbel, rarely solitary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic (Pelargonium), hypogynous, pentamerous. Calyx with 5 sepals, free, green, persistent, sometimes spurred (Pelargonium). Corolla with 5 petals, rarely 4 or absent, free, often clawed, imbricate, nectar glands alternating with petals or absent. Androecium with 10 (Geranium) or 15 (Monsonia) stamens, rarely 5 (other 5 sterile-Erodium), usually connate at base, sometimes pentadelphous (Monsonia), rarely free, anthers bithecous, dehiscence by longitudinal slits, pollen grains tricolpate or triporate. Gynoecium with 5 united carpels, ovary superior, usually lobed, placentation axile, ovules usually 2 in each loculus, anatropous or campylotropous, style 1, slender and beaklike. Fruit a capsular dehiscent schizocarp with 5 1-seeded segments that separate elastically from central column, and often opening to release seeds (Geranium), or indehiscent schizocarp (Biebersteinia); seeds usually without aril, pendulous, embryo curved, endosperm usually absent or scanty. Pollination by insects. Mostly self dispersed by explosive opening of schizocarps throwing seeds several metres away.  

Genera expected

The members are requested to take care of following features while uploading the plants for identification:

1. Habit annual or perennial

2. Leaf circular or angular in outline, and number of lobes

3. Number of flowers in a cluster

4. Size of flower (diameter)

5. The length of sepal awn

6. length of beak

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The famous age old Cook’s flora mentions a combined family Geraniaceae with 6 genera mentioned under it namely
Monsonia
Erodium

BSI Mah. Flora mentions the plants in Mah. as follows
Family : Geraniaceae
Monsonia senegalensis
Geranium ocellatum var. ocellatum and var. himalaicum
and cutivated Pelargonium sp.

indian species of Geraniaceae : I feel we have good representation of this family in our database. In an effort to update this in our database and preparing a simple key for identification, I am enclosing the list of species with latest name. Kindly suggest additions or corrections with suitable reference:

Geranium      

1. Erodium cicutarium (L.) L’Herit.

2. E. ciconium Willd.

3. E. malacoides Willd.

4. E. stephianum Willd.

5. E. tibetanum Edgew.

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In addition to the list, GRIN shows the following species as recorded from India: (I hope there is no clash of synonyms!)

Geranium clarkei Yeo

Geranium divaricatum Ehrh.

Geranium kashmirianum Sapru & Raina

Geranium kishtvariense R. Knuth

Geranium pinetophilum R. Knuth

Geranium regelii Nevski

Geranium swatense Schonb.-Tem. Erodium oxyrhynchum M. Bieb.

Please see below for minor spelling corrections…

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I checked Flora of India vol-4 by BSI which described following additional species in Geranium:

1. G.charlesii (Aitch. & Hemsley) Vved. Ex Nevski (=G.tuberosum L. var. charlesii)

2. G. clarkei Yeo (accepted by Plant List)

3. G. divaricatum Ehrh. (accepted by Plant List)

4. G. lambertii Sweet (accepted by Plant List)

5. G. pamiricum Ikonn. (accepted by Plant List)

6. G. regelii Nevski (synonym of G.collinum as per Plant List)

7. G. swatense Schonb. (accepted by Plant List)