GERANIACEAE - CRANESBILLS FAMILY
Scientific Description:
Herbs, sometimes suffruticose. Leaves stipulate, lobed or dissected. Inflorescence cymose or umbellate, or flowers solitary. Flowers hypogynous, actinomorphic or zygomorphic. Sepals 5, free. Petals 5, free. Stamens 10 and obdiplostemonous, or with 3−5 reduced to staminodes. Ovary superior, 5-locular. Fruit schizocarpic, splitting into five 1-seeded mericarps, often united to awns formed from the longitudinal splitting of the style.
Reference:
Davis PH (1967). Geraniaceae, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2: 450.
Public Description:
The “cranesbills family” contains herbs, woody shrubs and small trees (rarely succulent), and is distributed in temperate or warm temperate regions, though some are tropical. Their flowers show the great variety of colors and generally their leaves are lobed or dissected.The members of this family are grown for the production of essential oils and cultivated ornamentals. “Geranium oil” used in perfumes, is derived especially from “ apple pelargonium(Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) L'Hér)”.and some related species.The regalgeranium(Pelargonium × domesticum L.H. Bailey), also found in this family, is one of the most popular house plants and has many varieties.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraniaceae/, Accessed date: 13.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.britannica.com/plant/Geraniaceae, Accessed date: 13.02.2016.
