Geranium carolinianum Linnaeus. Common name: Carolina Crane's-Bill. Phenology: Mar-Jun (and sometimes later). Habitat: Fields, roadsides, lawns, pastures, gardens, disturbed areas. Distribution: MA, MI, WY, and BC south to FL, CA, and n. Mexico (and introduced in various places in the Old and New World).
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Taxonomy Comments: Varieties are sometimes recognized, with two in our area: var. carolinianum, with the inflorescence diffusely corymbiform (because of long upper internodes), mostly 4-12-flowered, and pubescence of the stem mostly < 0.5 mm long, and var. confertiflorum, with the inflorescence a compact corymb (because of notably short upper internodes), mostly 5-25-flowered, and pubescence of the stem mostly >0.75 mm long.
Synonymy ⓘ: = Bah, Can, Fl2, FNA13, Il, K4, Mex, Mi, Mo3, NcTx, NE, NY, Pa, RAB, S, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, WH3, WV, Aedo (2012); > Geranium carolinianum L. — S13; > Geranium carolinianum L. var. carolinianum — Ar, C, F, G, GrPl; > Geranium carolinianum L. var. confertiflorum Fernald — C, F, G, GrPl; > Geranium langloisii Greene — S13; > Geranium sphaerospermum Fernald — F; Geranium carolinianum L. Basionym: Geranium carolinianum L. 1753
Links to other floras: = Geranium carolinianum - FNA13
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Heliophily ⓘ: 9
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© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Alan M. Cressler | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Aidan Campos source | Original Image ⭷
© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷
© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷
© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷Feedback
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Horticultural Information
Intro: Ascending to sprawling annual of fields, roadsides, lawns, pastures, gardens and other disturbed areas.
Stems: Stems reddish, branched, the branches often sprawling, and very hairy.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, round to kidney-shaped, to 2 in. long and wide, palmately divided into 5-7 lobes that are further coarsely cleft, grayish-green and hairy.
Inforescence:
Flowers: Flowers on short, glandular-hairy stalks in clusters (occasionally solitary) at ends of branches; pale pink to white; to 1/3 in. wide; vaguely funnel-shaped and consisting of 5 petals with shallowly notched tips and 5 hairy, narrowly oval sepals.
Fruits: Fruit a long-beaked capsule that splits into 5 pieces curling upward.
Comments:
Height: 4-24 in.
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description: Ascending to sprawling annual of fields, roadsides, lawns, pastures, gardens and other disturbed areas.
stems: Stems reddish, branched, the branches often sprawling, and very hairy.
leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, round to kidney-shaped, to 2 in. long and wide, palmately divided into 5-7 lobes that are further coarsely cleft, grayish-green and hairy.
inflorescence:
flowers: Flowers on short, glandular-hairy stalks in clusters (occasionally solitary) at ends of branches; pale pink to white; to 1/3 in. wide; vaguely funnel-shaped and consisting of 5 petals with shallowly notched tips and 5 hairy, narrowly oval sepals.
fruits: Fruit a long-beaked capsule that splits into 5 pieces curling upward.
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range: North America & n. Mexico
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