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Geranium robertianum
| Common name: |
Herb Robert |
Family: |
Geraniaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia to N. Africa, east to.Japan and the Himalayas |
| Habitat: |
Moist shady positions in undergrowth[7], rocks and walls, hedge banks, roadsides and waste places[9]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Robertiella robertiana[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Erva De Sao Roberto [E], Fortchete Do Diale [E], Herb Robert [L,H,E], Herba Ruperti [E], Herbrobert [B], Hierba De San Roberto [E], Robert Geranium [P], Robertskruid [D], Turnagagasi [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Geraniales. Geranium family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Belgium
Britain Britain(Wales) Europe Germany Portugal Spain Turkey
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual/Biennial growing to 0.4m by 0.4m . It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insect.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Hedgerow, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, In Walls, In North Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antirheumatic
Astringent Diuretic Homeopathy Vulnerary.
Herb Robert is little used in modern herbalism, but is occasionally
employed as an astringent to halt bleeding, treat diarrhoea etc in much the
same way as G. maculatum[254].
The leaves are antirheumatic, astringent, mildly diuretic and vulnerary[7,
9, 21, 222, 238]. Modern research has shown that the leaves can lower blood
sugar levels and so it can be useful in the treatment of diabetes[244]. An
infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of bleeding, stomach
ailments, kidney infections, jaundice etc[222]. Externally, a wash or
poultice is applied to swollen and painful breasts[222], rheumatic joints[7],
bruises, bleeding etc[9]. It is best to use the entire plant, including the
roots[9]. The plant can be harvested at any time from late spring to early
autumn and is usually used fresh[9, 238].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. Details of uses are not
given in this report[K]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Dye
Repellent.
Freshly picked leaves are rubbed on the body to repel mosquitoes[53].
They impart their own peculiar odour.
A brown dye is obtained from the whole plant[168].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in any moderately fertile retentive soil in a sunny
position[200]. Tolerates a wide range of soil types[200], succeeding in dry
soils[238]. Grows well on woodland edges[24].
The whole plant has an unpleasant aroma[244]. The foxy smell is particularly
pronounced after rain[245].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or
rabbits[233].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ.
Scent
-
Leaves: Crushed
- The whole plant has an unpleasant aroma. The foxy smell is particularly pronounced after rain.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for geranium robertianum (a possible synonym).
References for the family Geraniaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.
[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Geranium+robertianum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Geranium+robertianum
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