Geranium collinum ?

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I currently cannot put a firm name on this- shall comment further in due course. Further to my recent post about photographing Geraniums.  I am far from certain that the true Geranium collinum is found in the Himalaya. This is a complicated matter. Let me try to explain. It has certainly been thought to in the past. Stewart e.g. listed this species from the Khardong La in his ‘The Flora of Ladakh’ (1916-17) – I have not seen the pressed specimen but from the altitude and location, I would think this is probably what I understand to be G.regelii. He also listed G.grandiflorum (which is now Geranium himalayense). The images above do not come close to my understanding of either of these species – nor G.pratense subsp. stewartianum a specimen of which I saw near Sonamarg which Peter Yeo at Cambridge identified as this in 1987.  Dickore & Klimes (2005) which is the most up-to-date checklist for Ladakh do not include G.collinum only G. himalayense, pratense, regelii and sibiricum.
In ‘The Valley of Flowers’ book G.pratense, collinum, wallichianum and grevilleanum (now G.lambertii) were listed.
In the Notes Yeo supplied me, he draws attention to the problematical G.collinum-pratense-himalayense alliance. He considered this was particularly critical in the NW Himalaya with high quality pressed specimens needed (nowadays these can be supplemented and sometimes replaced by high quality digital images (provided the advice given below is followed). This alliance has pink to blue flowers (sometimes white) in which the stamen-tip and stigmas are never blackish-purple…

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Balsaminaceae, Geraniaceae and Oxalidaceae Week :: DV01 :: 02 AUG 12 11:59 :: Geranium collinum at Valley of Flowers :
Geraniaceae

Geranium collinum Stephan ex Willd.

I currently cannot put a firm name on this- shall comment further in due course. Further to my recent post about photographing Geraniums.  I am far from certain that the true Geranium collinum is found in the Himalaya. This is a complicated matter. Let me try to explain. It has certainly been thought to in the past. Stewart e.g. listed this species from the Khardong La in his ‘The Flora of Ladakh’ (1916-17) – I have not seen the pressed specimen but from the altitude and location, I would think this is probably what I understand to be G.regelii. He also listed G.grandiflorum (which is now Geranium himalayense). The images above do not come close to my understanding of either of these species – nor G.pratense subsp. stewartianum a specimen of which I saw near Sonamarg which Peter Yeo at Cambridge identified as this in 1987.  Dickore & Klimes (2005) which is the most up-to-date checklist for Ladakh do not include G.collinum only G. himalayense, pratense, regelii and sibiricum.

In ‘The Valley of Flowers’ book G.pratense, collinum, wallichianum and grevilleanum (now G.lambertii) were listed.

In the Notes Yeo supplied me, he draws attention to the problematical G.collinum-pratense-himalayense alliance. He considered this was particularly critical in the NW Himalaya with high quality pressed specimens needed (nowadays these can be supplemented and sometimes replaced by high quality digital images (provided the advice given below is followed). This alliance has pink to blue flowers (sometimes white) in which the stamen-tip and stigmas are never blackish-purple…

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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