Geranium carolinianum
Family: Geraniaceae
Plant Description: Annual to 50 cm high with ascending or reclining stems. Leaves palmately lobed, 2-6 cm wide, alternate. Flowers in peduncled clusters, the petals 4-5 mm long, pink or lavender. Fruit separating into 5 one-seeded segments, the long style persisting and hardening and somewhat resembling a crane or stork’s bill.
Plant Trivia: The genus name comes from the Greek, geranios, meaning “crane.”
Field Identification:
Occurrence: Frequent on sandy soils in prairies, openings, waste areas, and along roadsides. Likes part-shade.
Bloom Period: February – May
Plant Use:
Key to species of Geranium:
- Stem hairs mostly spreading…………………………………………….G. carolinianum
Stem hairs downward close-pressed………………………………………G. texanum
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