Editing Geranium (section)

==Confusion with ''Pelargonium''==
[[File:Geranium sanguineum02.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|The "bill" and seed dispersal mechanism of ''G.''{{Nbsp}}''pratense'']]

Confusingly, "geranium" is also the [[common name]] of members of the genus ''[[Pelargonium]]'', which are also in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Geraniaceae]] and are widely grown as horticultural [[bedding (horticulture)|bedding]] plants. [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] originally included all the species in one genus, ''Geranium'', but they were later separated into two genera by [[Charles L’Héritier]] in 1789.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lis-Balchin |first=Maria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-bR8GxQ6BU0C&dq=geranium+genus,+Geranium,+but+they+were+later+separated+into+two+genera+by+Charles+L%E2%80%99H%C3%A9ritier+in+1789+pelargonium&pg=PA52 |title=Geranium and Pelargonium: History of Nomenclature, Usage and Cultivation |date=2002-10-03 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-203-21653-8 |language=en}}</ref> Other former members of the genus are now classified in ''[[Erodium]]'', including the plants known as filarees in North America.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Armitage |first=Allan M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kA6VgfxsstIC&dq=geranium+genus+Erodium,+including+the+plants+known+as+filarees&pg=PA391 |title=Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes |date=2008-05-01 |publisher=Quarto Publishing Group USA |isbn=978-1-61058-380-0 |language=en}}</ref>

The term "hardy geranium" is often applied to horticultural ''Geranium''s to distinguish them from the ''Pelargonium''s, which are not winter-hardy in [[temperate climate|temperate]] horticulture.<ref name="Parer">{{cite book |last1=Parer |first1=Robin |title=The Plant Lover's Guide to Hardy Geraniums |date=20 April 2016 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-1-60469-418-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e0uLCwAAQBAJ&q=not+all+%27%27Geranium%27%27+species+are+winter-hardy |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Geranium or Pelargonium? Let's Stop the Confusion |url=https://laidbackgardener.blog/geranium-or-pelargonium-lets-stop-the-confusion/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Laidback Gardener |language=en-US}}</ref> However, not all ''Geranium'' species are winter-hardy (see below).<ref>{{cite web |title=Geranium Climate: Sun and Temperature |url=https://geraniumpage.com/sun-and-temperature |website=geraniumpage.com}}</ref>

The shape of the flowers offers one way of distinguishing between the two genera ''Geranium'' and ''Pelargonium''. ''Geranium'' flowers have five very similar petals, and are thus radially symmetrical ([[actinomorphic]]), whereas ''Pelargonium'' (and also ''Erodium'') flowers have two upper petals which are different from the three lower petals, so the flowers have a single plane of symmetry ([[zygomorphic]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chris |date=2015-11-28 |title=Pelargonium incarnatum - Is it a Geranium? No it's a Pelargonium |url=https://www.phillipskop.co.za/flora/pelargonium-incarnatum |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Phillipskop Mountain Reserve |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-24 |title=Tom Karwin, On Gardening {{!}} Visiting the Geranium family |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2022/11/24/tom-karwin-on-gardening-visiting-the-geranium-family/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Santa Cruz Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref>