Today we are going to talk about a type of geranium that is little used in the field of gardening because it does not have much beauty, but it can have certain uses, especially as a background grass. Its about geranium molle. It is also known by other common names such as spring geranium, brad, and soft geranium. It belongs to the Geraniaceae family and is an annual herb that is able to survive winter. This is one of the main advantages it has, since it can be used to have the garden active all year round.
If you want to know more about him geranium mollein this post we explain everything completely.
Key features
It is a type of annual plant capable of surviving a day. Individuals that are able to survive the lower temperatures are due to the fact that they have a stronger taproot than normal. They are plants that have a height of between 5 and 25 centimeters depending on the type of growth it is having and the environmental conditions to which it is exposed.
It has multiple boiling and ascending stems, although some are also quite branched. One of the main characteristics of this plant is that its stems are hairy and pubescent with many of them with a soft touch and generally reddish in color. Its flora is of a regular size that ranges from 5 to 8 mm wide. These flowers consist of 5 petals that are pink in color and deeply cut at the apex. On the outside of the petals it also has 5 sepals with barely membranous edges. These sepals have great hairiness although they are shorter than firecrackers. The complete flower has 10 stamens that have anthers and are congenitally shot with 5 stigmas. The flowers generally appear in axillary or terminal pairs on the buds.
As for its leaves, they have a rosette shape at the base of the plant and are compound or solitary in the bud. The leaves located in the rosette have a long petiole while the stem leaves have a short petiole and stipules. They also have an orbicular leaf blade with 5 to 7 lobes up to the middle of the leaf blade.
The fruit of geranium molle is a schizocarp that is divided into 5 parts. It can be recognized with the naked eye because it has a beak-shaped tip. It is in the segments that form the beak that the dehiscence coils.
Distribution area and habitat of the geranium molle
These types of plants usually develop naturally in rocky and generally dry fields. It does not need much precipitation to be able to develop and expand to a large extent. It grows on cobbled soils, ruins, garbage dumps, riverbanks, and patios. For many people it can be considered a weed although it can serve as a background and annual plant in our garden.
The flowering period is from June to September since it needs high temperatures to be able to flourish. However, this does not mean that it can resist throughout the year with the leaves and active. It can be seen growing naturally along roadsides, in grazing areas, some fields, and other areas with crops. It can be said that its area of distribution can be easily guided through those areas where there is agricultural activity and other human activities that can alter the properties of the soil.
This species is able to spread effectively thanks to human action. One of the main actions is to mix with clover seeds and, thanks to this, it has been able to travel from its center of origin in western Europe to most of the rest of the continent. In fact, such has been its capacity for expansion thanks to this technique of mixing with other plants, that it has been able to leave Europe and end up in almost the entire world. We can find the geranium molle in South America, Australia, New Zealand and in the Far East.
Botanical experts have stated that annual changes in the population dynamics of this species are high on an annual basis. That is, you can see areas and times of the year in which the geranium molle are quite abundant and others in which it is totally absent.
Caring for the geranium molle
Anthers is a species with great beauty and ornamental value, to adorn the bottom of the gardens and reduce the effect of long-term erosion. Therefore, we are going to give some brief indications on how we should take care of the geranium molle.
Generally, Geraniums are plants that need a lot of sun exposure. Regardless of the species we are dealing with, it needs to be located in full sun. We will look for an area in our garden where it has sun throughout the year. In this way, they will be able to protect themselves from the lower temperatures during winter thanks to the heat of the sun. If you want to introduce it inside your home to reduce the effects of cold, you must have them planted in a pot. If you do this stop it in a pot and inside your house, it needs to be exposed in a window where it receives sunlight.
Regarding irrigation, it is not necessary to have too much water, although it is somewhat more abundant in the summer months when evaporation from the soil is greater. They are able to withstand damp soils well, although it is not recommended to flood the pot as the roots can rot. You have to think that it naturally grows on stony and dry soils. This makes geranium molle have great adaptability to poor soils.
Finally, it is not a plant that needs frequent fertilization, although it could be interesting in terms of flowering so that they can bloom more strongly and show more vivid tones. For it, We can use a little natural fertilizer diluted in water and do the irrigation once or twice a month.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Geranium mole.
