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Geranium pratense

Meadow Crane's-bill · Meadow Geranium

Family GeraniaceaeGenus Geranium

Blue-violet five-petalled flowers among many upright green seed capsules on hairy stalks in meadow grass
FlowerW. BulachCC BY-SA 4.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herbPLANTS Database
Flower
BluishFlora of China
Native range
Altay, Amur, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Flora of China — Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven and Hong Deyuan (eds.); GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Meadow crane's-bill is hardy to at least −20 °C, reflecting its origins in the Altai Mountains of central Asia. It is a good nectar plant, secreting 1.3 to 1.5 mg of nectar a day. Wikipedia: Geranium pratense

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 10, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 26 days to germinate.

100% germination in 16–26 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Geranium p. 148Public domain
Show the original text
Geranium (Geranlaceae). G. transbaicalicum germ. 70(4/4 in 16-26 d) and 40-70(6/7 in 1-3 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Geranium p. 148. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 2, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 3 days.

86% germination in 1–3 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Geranium p. 148Public domain
Show the original text
Geranium (Geranlaceae). G. transbaicalicum germ. 70(4/4 in 16-26 d) and 40-70(6/7 in 1-3 d).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Geranium p. 148. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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