Invasiveness Assessment - Garden geranium (Pelargonium alchemilloides) in Victoria

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Plant invasiveness is determined by evaluating a plant’s biological and ecological characteristics against criteria that encompass establishment requirements, growth rate and competitive ability, methods of reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms.

Each characteristic, or criterion, is assessed against a list of intensity ratings. Depending upon information found, a rating of Low, Medium Low, Medium High or High is assigned to that criterion. Where no data is available to answer a criterion, a rating of medium (M) is applied. A description of the invasiveness criteria and intensity ratings used in this process can be viewed here.

The following table provides information on the invasiveness of Garden geranium.

A more detailed description of the methodology of the Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method can be viewed below:

Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (PDF - 630 KB)
Victorian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) method (DOC - 1 MB)
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Common Name: Garden geranium
Scientific name: Pelargonium alchemilloides

Question	Comments	Rating	Confidence
Establishment
Germination requirements?	“Late Autumn to winter” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). Natural seasonal disturbance.	MH	M
Establishment requirements?	“Has become a naturalised weed in peppermint woodland…and has the ability to invade intact vegetation” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). This suggests that it can establish under moderate canopy cover.	MH	M
How much disturbance is required?	“Often found in disturbed areas” (van der Walt, 1977), but has the ability to invade intact vegetation (CRC Weed Management, 2003). Establishes in relatively intact vegetation.	MH	M
Growth/Competitive
Life form?	“Low, sprawling plant…[with] an underground tuber up to 6 m in length” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). Geophyte.	ML	MH
Allelopathic properties?	No information found.	M	L
Tolerates herb pressure?	No information found.	M	L
Normal growth rate?	No information found.	M	L
Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	“Can grow in…drought prone areas” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). No further information found. One study recorded garden geranium in more than 2/3 of unburnt treatment plots, but not recorded in burnt plots (Uys, Bond & Everson, 2004).	M	L
Reproduction
Reproductive system	“Tuber (rhizome) or seed” (CRC Weed Management, 2003).	H	MH
Number of propagules produced?	“Prolific seed producer” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). Inflorescence may have up to 15 flowers (van der Walt, 1977) No further information found.	M	L
Propagule longevity?	“It is possible for seeds to remain viable in the soil for a long period of time” (CRC Weed Management, 2003). No further information found.	M	L
Reproductive period?	“A single plant will die out after a few years” (CRC Weed Management, 2003).	MH	M
Time to reproductive maturity?	“Flowering…follows the regrowth period” (CRC Weed Management, 2003) suggesting that garden geranium flowers in its second year.	MH	M
Dispersal
Number of mechanisms?	Seeds appear suited to wind dispersal (photo in CRC Weed Management, 2003).	MH	M
How far do they disperse?	No information found.	M	L

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