Flora-Fauna

Geranium libani P.H.Davis

(First published in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 22: 25 (1955); Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CLXXXI nº 4; 1970, as Geranium libani Davis, syn. G. libanoticum Boiss. & C.I.Blanche, non Schenk)

• Life-form & habit : Perennial herb with a thick, slightly branched rhizome; stems erect, 20–60 cm tall or more, often multicaulous, with fairly dense retrorse pubescence, overtopping the basal leaves to varying degrees.

• Leaves : Basal leaves often large, up to 20–25 cm including the petiole, strongly pubescent beneath, slightly greyish below, greener and less villous above; blade 4–10 cm or more in diameter, palmatipartite into 5 lobes, the lobes themselves shortly divided into obtuse secondary lobes. Cauline leaves reduced to a single pair, subtending long branches that are themselves once or twice dichotomously divided and bear reduced leaves at the forks.

• Inflorescence & flowers : Inflorescence at the end of each terminal subdivision rather few-flowered, but the whole plant, often multicaulous, forms a rich flowering spray; sepals about 1 cm long, hirsute with long white hairs, rounded at the apex and prolonged by a fine awn 3–4 mm long; petals violet, slightly emarginate, reaching 15 mm or more.

• Fruit : Fruit about 3 cm long; valves pubescent.

• Phenology : Flowers from March to June.

• Habitat & elevation : Wooded places, from the lower to middle mountain belts.

• Lebanese distribution : Recorded by Mouterde from Bikfaya, above Ma‘asser, Kfar Houné, Jezzine, Machnaqa, Sir, ‘Aramoun, Barouk, Ehden, between Ehden and Denniyé, above Ehden, the forest of Ehden, Jourd Hadeth, Bcharré, the mountains of ‘Akkar, the valley of Hadchit, the Cedars, the Col de Zahlé and Jabal Kneissé. The plate was drawn from material from Sir-ed-Denniyé.

• Native range : Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Türkiye.

• Diagnostic remarks : Mouterde treated the species as Geranium libani Davis and cited G. libanoticum Boiss. & C.I.Blanche, non Schenk, in synonymy. It should not be confused with Geranium libanoticum Schenk, which Mouterde treated separately and compared with G. tuberosum. G. libani is distinguished by its thick branched rhizome, large softly pubescent basal leaves with five broad obtuse-lobed segments, reduced single pair of cauline leaves, violet slightly emarginate petals 15 mm or more, long white-hairy sepals with a fine 3–4 mm awn, and pubescent fruit valves.