Common name: Cranesbill, Perennial Geranium
Family: Geraniaceae, Geranium
Height x width: 6-18" x 12-24"
Growth rate: moderate to fast
Foliage: generally circular outline with lobes, 1-2" wide, scattered hairs often on leaves and flower stems, turning reddish with frost, often scented
Flowers: pink to magenta or purple, midsummer, 1-1½" wide with 5 petals, single on axillary peduncles
Hardiness: 3 or 4-8
Soil: moist, organic and well-drained
Light: sun in cool climates, part shade in hot climates, sanguineum tolerates sun even in hot summers
Pests and problems: leaf spots, rusts, mosaic virus, Asiatic garden beetle, four-lined plant bug
Landscape habit, uses: borders, rock garden, groundcover, containers
Other interest: native to Europe and Asia; genus name from Greek word for crane, refering to the resemblance of the beaked fruit to a crane's bill or beak
Other culture: especially in hot climates moist soil is needed, moist soil promotes vigor and spread
Propagation: tip cuttings, division, seeds
Species:
•x cantabrigiense (can-tah-bri-gee-ense')--Cambridge Geranium, zones 4-7, 6-12" x 8-16", rose to pink flowers in spring and summer, hybrid from and named after Cambridge Univ. in England, from cross of macrorrhizum and dalmaticum in mid 1970's
•cinereum (si-nair' ee-um)--Grayleaf Cranesbill, zones 5-7, 6-12" x 12", red to pink flowers in spring with dark veins, native to the Pyrenees, var. subcaulescens has darker leaves, magenta petals and black stamens compared to var. cinereum
•clarkei (clar-kee-ii')--Clarke's Geranium, zones 5-7, 15-20", violet to white flowers in spring with dark veins, native to Nepal; differs from pratense from which separated in 1985 being lower, more deeply cut leaves, more basal leaves and more open inflorescence
•dalmaticum (dal-ma' ti-cum)--Dalmatian Cranesbill, zones 4-7, 4-8", pink flowers in late spring with 3 per stem, native to Balkan peninsula, trailing stems, spreads rapidly without being invasive, nice red to orange fall color
•endressii (en-drees' see-ii)--Endress's Geranium, zones 4-7, 15-18", pink flowers in summer, 3-5" wide shiny green leaves, native to Pyrenees
•x ononianum (on-on-ee-aa' num)--Oxford Geranium, zones 5-7, 24-30", pink flowers with dark veins in summer, named by Yeo in 1985 for Oxford, England, cross of endressii and versicolor
•x riversleaianum (ri-ver-slee-aa-ee-aa' num)--zones 7-8, 12", magenta flowers, garden hybrid of endressii and traversii
•himalayense (hi-mal-aa-yense')--Lilac Geranium, zones 4-7, 10-15", lilac flowers in summer, native to northern Asia, large leaves 3-6", bright orange and red fall color, large 1½-2" across flowers saucer-shaped with red-purple veins for 4-6 weeks, plants tend to sprawl
•ibericum (ii-beer' i-cum)--Caucasus Geranium, zones 6-7, 15-18", lavender blue flowers with purple veins in summer, native to Caucasus
•macrorrhizum (ma-cror-rii' zum)--Bigroot Geranium, zones 3-8, 15-18", magenta flowers in spring, native to southern Europe, large leaves 6-8" across with characteristic scent, used as early as 1576 for oil of geranium, thick and fleshy vigorous root system
•x magnificum (mag-ni-fi-cum')--Showy Geranium, zones 3-8, 18-24", dark violet-blue flowers in summer, hybrid of ibericum and platypetalum and more virous than either tending to fall over in wind and rain
•x monacense (mo-nah-cense')--Munich Geranium, zones 5-7, 18-24", purple-red to pink mauve flowers in summer, hybrid of phaeum and reflexum
•phaeum (fay' um)--Mourning Widow, zones 5-7, 18-24", dark maroon flowers in early summer suggest a "mourning widow", pistil and stamens are exserted, native to moist areas although thick roots allow survival in drought; var. lividum paler flowers occasionally streaked lilac
•platypetalum (pla-tee-pe' tal-um)--Broad-petaled Geranium, zones 3-7, 18-24", deep violet flowers with reddish veins in late spring, native to the Caucasus, hairy leaves tolerate heat
•renardii (re-nar' dee-ii)--zones 4-7, 10", white flowers with violet veins in summer, dull gray-green leaves with shallow lobes, native to the Caucasus
•pratense (praa-tense')--Meadow Cranesbill, zones 5-7, 24-36", purple flowers from reddish veins on dark blue petals, native to northern Europe, may need staking, tolerates alkaline soils
•psilostemon (siil-o-stem' on)--Armenian Geranium, zones 5-7, 24-48", magenta flowers with black centers in summer, native to Armenia, needs staking
•sanguineum (san-gwin' ee-um)--Bloody Cranesbill, zones 3-8, 9-12", magenta flowers in spring, native to Europe and Asia, tolerates heat and drought; var. striatum ('Lancastriense') light pink with crimson veins, variable in commerce, 6-8" tall
•wallichianum (wall-ik-ee-aa' num)--Wallich Geranium, zones 4-7, 6" spreading 2-3', purple flowers in late summer, native to Himalaya
•sylvaticum (sill-va' ti-cum)--Wood Cranesbill, zones 5-8, 30-36",
purple-violet flowers in spring, native to Europe
Cultivars:
| Cultivars, other taxa | species | flowers | other | |
| 'Album' | cinereum | white | var. cinereum | |
| 'Album' | macrorrhizum | white, pink | ||
| 'Album' | phaeum | white, pink blush | ||
| 'Album' | sanguineum | white | 10-18" tall | |
| 'Album' | sylvaticum | white | light green leaves | |
| 'Ann Folkard' | purple, dark eye | 15" tall, summer | ||
| 'A.T. Johnson' | x ononianum | silver pink | ||
| 'Ballerina' | cinereum | pink, dark center, veins | 4-6" tall, long bloom | |
| 'Bevan's Variety' | macrorrhizum | red, magenta | 8-10" tall | |
| 'Biokovo' | x cantabrigiense | white, pink tinge | 6-12" tall | |
| 'Biokovo Karmina' | x cantabrigiense | raspberry red | 6-12" tall | |
| 'Birch Double':'Plenum' | himalayense | |||
| 'Bressingham Flair' | psilostemon | magenta tinged pink | 2' tall, sturdy | |
| 'Cambridge' | x cantabrigiense | purple-violet | ||
| 'Cedric Morris' | sanguineum | rosy-magenta, early | 1-1½' tall | |
| 'Claridge Druce' | x ononianum | purple-pink, veined | hairy, grayish foliage | |
| 'Czakor' | macrorrhizum | rose, magenta | 15" tall | |
| 'Dilys' | purple, late | prostrate stems | ||
| 'Elsbeth' | sanguineum | bright purple, large | 9" tall | |
| 'Galactic' | pratense | white, flat-topped | 2' tall | |
| 'Giuseppii' | cinereum | magenta, central spot | var. subcaulescens | |
| 'Glenluce' | sanguineum | pink, to 2" across | compact | |
| 'Gravetye' | himalayense | blue, red center and veins | 12" tall, compact | |
| 'Ingwersen's Variety' | macrorrhizum | pale pink | glossy leaves | |
| 'Irish Blue' | himalayense | pale blue, purple center | petals notched | |
| 'John Elsley' | sanguineum | magenta, large | ||
| x 'Johnson's Blue' | blue | less hardy, 15-18" tall | ||
| 'Kashmir Purple' | clarkei | deep blue | can grow from seed | |
| 'Kashmir White' | clarkei | white, pink veins | 2" wide flowers | |
| 'Lady Moore' | x ononianum | light pink | ||
| 'Lancastriense': sanguineum var. striatum | ||||
| 'Lawrence Flatman' | cinereum | pink, dark veins | vigorous | |
| 'Lily Lovell' | phaeum | mauve | light green leaves | |
| 'Mayflower' | sylvaticum | violet-blue, white base | best of species | |
| 'Max Frei' | sanguineum | purple-pink, saucers | compact | |
| 'Mrs. Kendall Clarke' | pratense | pale blue, rosy veins | variable in commerce | |
| 'Philippe Vapelle' | blue | 15", renardii foliage | ||
| 'Phoebe Noble' | x ononianum | dark pink | ||
| 'Pindus' | macrorrhizum | rose, magenta | lower than 'Czakor' | |
| 'Plenum' | himalayense | lavender, double | long bloom | |
| 'Plenum Violaceum' | pratense | purple, double | long bloom | |
| 'Rebecca Moss' | x ononianum | silver pink, no veins | ||
| 'Rose Clair' | x ononianum | rose-salmon | similar to 'A.T. Johnson' | |
| 'Russell Pritchard' | x riversleaianum | magenta | dull grayish, lobed foliage | |
| 'Shepherd's Warning' | sanguineum | deep rose-pink | compact | |
| 'Sherwood' | x ononianum | light pink | narrow petals | |
| 'Silver Queen' | pratense | silvery-blue | 3' tall | |
| 'Southcombe Star' | x ononianum | bluish pink | appears double, spreads | |
| 'Spessart' | macrorrhizum | dark pink to rose | incorrect if white, pink | |
| 'Splendens' | cinereum | deep red, dark center | 5-6", var. subcaulescens | |
| 'Striatum' | pratense | white spotted dark blue | ||
| 'Variegatum' | macrorrhizum | magenta | leaves variegated cream | |
| 'Variegatum' | phaeum | dark maroon | yellow margined leaves | |
| 'Wageningen' | x ononianum | coral | compact | |
| 'Walter's Gift' | x ononianum | purple pink, veined | bronze zoned foliage | |
| 'Wargrave Pink' | x ononianum | salmon pink | notched petals | |
| 'Winscombe' | x ononianum | white to deep pink | ||
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
Return to Perry's
Perennial Pages | HGPO
course | PSS123 course