Geranium molle
Geranium molle, the dove's-foot crane's-bill or dovesfoot geranium, is an annual herbaceous plant of the family Geraniaceae.
Description
Geranium molle is a small plant reaching on average in height. It is a very branched plant, quite hairy, with several ascending stems. The leaves are palmate, cut 5 to 9 times. The basal leaves are arranged in a rosette, the upper ones are sessile, rounded and hairy, with a long petiole of about. The flowers are pinkish-purple, 8–12 mm in diameter, with very jagged petals. It blooms from April to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite and mainly pollinated by Hymenoptera. Fruits are glabrous, usually with 6-9 transverse ridges.Synonyms
- Geranium luganense Chenevard
- Geranium abortivum De Not. ex Ces.
- Geranium brutium micranthum N.Terracc.
- Geranium brutium Gasp.
- Geranium calabrum Ten.
- Geranium leiocaulon Ledeb.
- Geranium x luganense Chenevard
- Geranium macropetalum Posp.
- Geranium molle triviale Gortani & M.Gortani
- Geranium molle caespitosum Graebn.
- Geranium molle leiocaulon Graebn.
- Geranium molle pinguis Graebn.
- Geranium molle stipulare Graebn.
- Geranium molle parvulum Graebn.
- Geranium molle f. albiflorum R.Uechtr.
- Geranium molle f. annuum Gams
- Geranium molle f. candidum Beck
- Geranium molle f. pinguis K.Malý
- Geranium molle f. stipulare K.Malý
- Geranium molle f. subperenne Gams
- Geranium molle glabrata A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle pygmaea A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle sepincola A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle tenuisecta A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle trivialis A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle villosissima A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle annuum Graebn.
- Geranium molle triviale A.Terrac. ex Graebn.
- Geranium molle subperenne Graebn.
- Geranium molle tenuisecta Graebn.
- Geranium molle album Graebn.
- Geranium molle suaveolens Graebn.
- Geranium molle subf. abortiva A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle subsp. brutium Graebn.
- Geranium molle subsp. brutium P.H.Davis
- Geranium molle subsp. normale A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle subsp. pollinense A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle subsp. sinjaricum Al-Shehbaz & Al-Khakani
- Geranium molle subsp. stipulare Dostál
- Geranium molle subsp. stipulare Holmboe
- Geranium molle subsp. stipulare Soó
- Geranium molle subsp. villosum A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle subvar. macropetalum Gams
- Geranium molle var. abortivum Ces., Pass. & Gibelli
- Geranium molle var. abortivum Nyman
- Geranium molle var. album Picard
- Geranium molle var. annuum Schur
- Geranium molle var. arenarium A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. brutium K.Malý
- Geranium molle var. caespitosum N.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. caucasicum Regel ex Woronow
- Geranium molle var. corymbiferum Just.
- Geranium molle var. diffusum Ten. ex A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. elatum Ten. ex A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. graecum A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. grandiflorum Lange
- Geranium molle var. grandiflorum Lojac.
- Geranium molle var. grandiflorum Vis.
- Geranium molle var. grandiflorum Viv.
- Geranium molle var. lucanum Gasp. ex Nyman
- Geranium molle var. macropetalum Boiss.
- Geranium molle var. maioriflorum Borbás
- Geranium molle var. maritimum Lojac.
- Geranium molle var. minus Chevall.
- Geranium molle var. montanum A.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. montanum A.Terracc. ex N.Terracc.
- Geranium molle var. parvulum Ten.
- Geranium molle var. stipulare Nyman
- Geranium molle var. suaveolens Boenn. ex Rchb.
- Geranium molle var. suaveolens Gams
- Geranium molle var. subperenne Schur
- Geranium molle var. supinum Fouc. & Jouss.
- Geranium molle var. typicum Posp.
- Geranium molle var. villosum Cout.
- Geranium molle var. vulcanicum A.Terracc.
- Geranium x oenense Borbás ex Hallier
- Geranium pollinense N.Terracc. ex A.Terracc.
- Geranium pseudovillosum Schur
- Geranium punctatum Kanitz
- Geranium pyrenaicum subsp. villosum Nyman
- Geranium stipulare Kunze
- Geranium villosum var. gracile Sennen
- Geranium villosum var. villosissimum Ten.
- Geranium villosum Ten.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean areas, but has naturalized in other parts of Europe, in southwestern and central Asia and in North Africa, though it may have already been in those parts and areas, just not properly identified. It is considered an introduced species in North America, where it is known as Dovefoot Geranium or Awnless Geranium. Although non-native in parts of its range, this species poses little threat to native ecosystems.It is found in dry meadows, hedges, banks and forest edges. It prefers sunny places on sandy and relatively dry soils, at an altitude of above sea level.