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Geranium macrorrhizum |
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| Common name |
bigroot cranesbill |
| Family |
geraniaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z4) |
| Flowers |
cream/rose (late spring) |
| Size |
16" |
| Light |
sun-light shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
| Seed ripens | late June |
Robust but low-growing cranesbill. The scalloped leaves are supposedly fragrant, but I've never noticed. This species in particular is reported to have bright red autumn foliage, but in our garden, several other geraniums outperform in the brilliant-leaf department - perhaps because macrorrhizum stays green so late in the season that, by the time it does turn, I have stopped paying attention (or it's covered in snow).
The one I consider to be the plain species was actually grown from seed labeled 'Ingwersen's Variety'. A second cultivar we grow, 'Variegatum', has irregularly white-splashed leaves.
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| | 'Variegatum' leaves |
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| | 'Variegatum' in bud/bloom |
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| | Fall color on the straight species |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following areas: patio area, pondside Read about all the cranesbills in our garden on my geraniums page About my plant portraits
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Linda | Feb 09, 2005 | I dont think this pix shows a Ger. macrorrhizum. Other pictures of it show a plant with very deep pink flowers, also say it only grows to 8 inches. |
| Larkspur | Feb 14, 2006 | Linda may think your photo is a x cantabrigiense (which is about 8" & looks similar in flower), but your leaf photo & description jive with the RHS Wisley description of a macrorrhizum (perhaps "Variegatum" or "Album" or "White-Ness"). It's the leaf (size? hairy? aromatic?) and whether or not this spreads that would determine the matter. Sure looks like a groundcover in your 1st pic.
The leaves are softly hairy. Mine don't have much of a tendency to spread - I wouldn't call it a groundcover. Hopefully better photos next year will clear up the matter. |
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common mis-spellings: macrorhizum
Last modified:
November 19, 2006
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