Native Carrot, Cinquefoil geranium
Geranium potentilloides
Family: Geraniaceae
What it is like
Geranium potentilloides is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Open forests, usually in damper places but not often in swamps.
Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Root - raw or cooked. Carrot shaped, it is starchy but astringent and distasteful. Probably only the younger less bitter roots are eaten.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of this country. The following comments are based on the general needs of the species. Succeeds in any moderately fertile retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates a wide range of soil types. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist