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Fragrant Yellow Geranium
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Fragrant Yellow Geranium
ative Photo: Krishan Lal
Common name: Fragrant Yellow Geranium
Botanical name: Biebersteinia odora    Family: Biebersteiniaceae (Biebersteinia family)

Fragrant Yellow Geranium is a somewhat woody perennial herb, 10-30 cm tall, erect, glandular-hairy. Flowers are borne in racemes, about 1.2 cm broad, yellow, orange in the centre, bract leafy, 4-6 mm long, ovate-oblong, margin often irregular; bracteoles 2, shorter, lanceshaped-ovate. Flower-stalks are up to 2 cm long, glandular-hairy. Sepals are unequal, elliptic-oblong, 7-9 mm long, glandular-pubescent. Petals are circular-obovate, base narrow, sparsely ciliate and strigose on the inner surface. Filaments 5-6 mm long, vinous. Styles united at the apex; stigma capitate. Rhizome is stout, up to 13 cm long, topped by leaf remains. Leaves cauline (at anthesis), 6-14 cm long, pinnately cut, segment pairs 12-18, stalkless, 4-20 mm long, pinnately cut or -partite into blunt lobes. Stipules are lanceshaped, 2-3-cut or-partite, pubescent-glandular, brown. Nutlets c.3 mm long, rugose, strigose, slightly curved. Seed glabrous. Fragrant Yellow Geranium is found in the Himalayas, in Kashmir, Ladakh and Lahaul at altitudes of 4200-5600 m, and C. Asia. Flowering: July-August.

Identification credit: Krishan Lal Photographed in Baralacha, Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.

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