Geraniales,the diverse geranium order of dicotyledonous flowering plants, belonging to the class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons; characterized by two seed leaves)basal Rosid group of the core eudicots. It consists of 5 families and some 3,600 species. Most members of the order are herbaceous, with a superior compound ovary and one to two ovules per locule. Many of the economically important families of Geraniales require rich, moist soil.

The wood-sorrel family (Oxalidaceae) is composed of some 900 species readily recognized by their three cloverleaf-like leaflets. Most of the Oxalidaceae are herbs found in tropical regions; some are weeds in temperate regions, and still others are grown as ornamentals.

The geranium family (Geraniaceae), consisting of 14 genera and some 700 species, is worldwide in distribution and generally grows in temperate or subtropical regions. The , 17 genera, and nearly 850 species, most of these belonging to Geraniaceae. Members are mainly herbs with some woody shrubs or small trees. Leaves are simple or compound, usually stipulate, and typically possess gland-tipped leaf margins. Flowers are arranged in a cymose cluster and have a five-parted perianth, typically 10 stamens, and 5 fused carpels. Nectaries are outside the stamens. Fruits are usually capsules or schizocarps in which the carpels break up into individual mericarps. All families except for the widespread Geraniaceae are small and are restricted to South America or to Africa.

Geraniaceae, or the geranium family, includes 7 genera and about 800 species distributed in temperate and warm temperate regions. Members are typically herbs with spiral or opposite leaves on jointed stems and with conspicuous stipules. The 10 stamens are arranged in two distinct groups of 5. The five beaked carpels separate into five one-seeded mericarps at maturity. The family is known for the production of essential oils and cultivated ornamentals. Geranium oil, used in perfumes, is produced by Pelargonium odoratissimum and related species. The florist’s geranium (Pelargonium ×domesticum) is a favourite house plant and is available in many varieties. These cultivars (horticultural varieties) have originated from plants native to South Africa. Herb Robert ( Geranium robertianum (herb Robert) is a well-known garden plant, as are some species of Erodium. The Erodium cicutarium (pin-clover (E. cicutarium), a Mediterranean species now naturalized in the United States, is a weed, but though in California it is grown as a forage crop. Geranium oil, used in perfumes, is produced by Pelargonium odoratissimum and related species.

The remaining families of the Geraniales order are of lesser economic importance; some are, however, important locally for food and ornamental plantings, and many are of scientific interest. The family Balsaminaceae has 2 genera and some 900 species of subsucculent annual or perennial plants. Some species of Impatiens are cultivated. Nasturtiums of the Tropaeolaceae, which are garden plants suited to moist habitats, yield spicy buds containing mustard oil for seasoning. Of the nearly 100 species in this genus, Tropaeolum tuberosum of the high Andes is an important vegetable-tuber crop. Limnanthaceae has 2 genera and 8 species of small, subsucculent annual plants, found in temperate parts of North America. Some species of Limnanthes are used as ornamentals, and they have attracted interest as a source of oilseeds.

Many members of the Oxalis genus propagate vegetatively. Reproduction by seeds is, however, the universal method of perpetuating the species of this order. Inflorescences of the Geraniales range from those set closely on an elongated flowering stalk (spike) to branched clusters (panicles). A few flat-topped flower clusters (umbels) are produced in the wood-sorrel and balsam families. A representative flower of the Geraniales possesses five sepals and an equal number of petals of similar size and shape, 10 stamens in two whorls, and a pistil composed of five carpels. Sepals are joined basally to form a short funnel; petals are separate, and stamens are joined at their base. The ovary portion of the pistil consists of five chambers, each containing one ovule. Five separate styles end in pollen-receptive stigmas.

Insects are the almost universal agents of Geraniales pollination. The fragrant flowers of the garden geranium are visited by nocturnal insects. Some North American species of Impatiens are pollinated by hummingbirds. After pollination and fertilization, the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary the fruit. In some families, the fruit ripens dry and splits at maturity into segments (mericarps), or, in other species, the fruits open completely (capsule)Melianthaceae, or the honey bush family, consists of 3 genera (Melianthus, Bersama, Greyia) and 11 species from tropical central and southern Africa. Melianthus and Bersama contain shrubs to small trees with pinnately compound leaves with serrate leaflet edges. Their monosymmetric flowers are arranged in a terminal raceme cluster. Their flowers contain only four stamens and form capsules opening along the locule sutures at maturity. Greyia (three species) is restricted to South Africa. They are woody plants with palmately veined, simple leaves. Flowers are large in a terminal raceme. The fruits mature into schizocarps, releasing numerous seeds.

Francoaceae is a small family from Chile with two species, one in Francoa and the other in Tetilla; both genera were formerly placed in Saxifragaceae. These are perennial herbs with either pinnately compound or simple leaves, and the flowers are grouped along a single central axis called a scape. The species are often cultivated, and the flowers are used in bridal wreaths.

The closely related Vivianiaceae and Ledocarpaceae are native to South America, especially the Andes. Vivianiaceae, with six species in either one (Viviania) or four genera, are herbs or small shrubs covered with glandular hairs; the undersides of the leaves typically are covered in white hairs. Ledocarpaceae, with 12 species in 3 genera (Balbisia, Rhyncotheca, and Wendtia), are shrubs, and the leaves can be deeply lobed.