Geranium sanguineum (bloody crane's-bill, "Akebonofuro")

Japanese name: アケボノフウロ （曙風露）
Scientific name: Geranium sanguineum

[Overview]
A perennial 30–50 cm tall, growing in grasslands on limestone, back dunes on the coast, sunny forest edges and similar places.
It has a thick rhizome underground.
The stems are thin and hard, covered with upward-pointing hairs, ascending or erect, and branch well to form a dense mound.
Leaves are simple and alternate, kidney-shaped and 3–6 cm wide, palmately divided into 7 lobes almost to the base, with long hairs on both surfaces or only on the underside.
They have long petioles.
The flowers grow in umbels of 1–3 at the tips of long stalks arising from the leaf axils.
The flowers are 2.5–4 cm across with 5 petals, reddish purple with darker veins.
The flower stalks and calyx have glandular hairs and are sticky.
The fruit is a capsule that splits into 5 and bursts open when ripe.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by root cuttings.
It prefers a calcareous soil with neutral pH that is well drained and moisture-retentive, in sun to partial shade.
It is hardy and very cold-tolerant.
It dislikes heat and humidity and direct summer sunlight, so potted plants should be moved in summer to a cool, airy place in partial shade.
For plants in the ground, it is good to plant them under deciduous trees or similar.
In warm regions, avoid places that receive afternoon sun, especially the western sun in summer.
To prevent the soil temperature from rising, it may be planted on a mound about 20 cm high.
In cold regions, if the conditions suit it, it grows well with little care.
Protect it from cold winter winds.
For potted plants, in spring and autumn water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply as base fertilizer a slow-release chemical fertilizer higher in phosphate and potash, and in spring and autumn give liquid fertilizer diluted 2000 times once a month.
The center of an old plant dies back, so it is good to divide it once every 3 years.
Pests and diseases include soft rot, powdery mildew and spider mites.

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