Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Promoting environmentally sound gardening practices for over 35 years!
Earlier this month, Geranium maculatum (wild or spotted geranium) was a featured Tried and True Native Plant Selection. The word protandrous described its flowers. Learn how protandry, and the related words protogyny and dichogamy, are important to cross-pollination by clicking on this link to go directly to the Illustrated Glossary page.
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
This native wildflower grows in deciduous woods and dappled meadows throughout eastern North America. Its alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive seed capsule, which resembles a crane’s bill. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored it as Wildflower of the Year in 2020.
dichogamy: the maturation of male and female reproductive organs of a flower at different times
protandry: having male reproductive organs maturing before the female
protogyny: having female reproductive organs maturing before the male
One cross-pollination strategy that bisexual plants (those with flowers having both stamens and pistils) use is dichogamy, where the stamens and pistils of a flower mature at different times.
palmate: of a leaf, lobed, veined, or divided from a common point with the veins forming a branching pattern that radiates from the place where the petiole joins the leaf blade, like fingers from a hand
Two common forms of venation that are the starting point for many plant identification systems are palmate and pinnate.
Long-blooming annuals have traditionally been preferred for balcony gardens, but native perennials work just as well for those who are able to devote more time and attention to the maintenance of a garden. Perennials have an advantage over annuals in that they will last from year to year. Choosing plants with attractive foliage is essential, since flowering periods for natives are not as lengthy as those for non-native summer annuals.
