Geranium carolinianum L

Plant Characteristics: Annual, 2-4 dm. high, densely retrorse-hirsute; lvs. 3-6 cm. broad, 5-7 parted, the cuneate divisions +/- cleft into linear or oblong, mostly obtuse lobes; lower petioles very long; peduncles mostly 2-fld., 1-3 cm. long, solitary or loosely aggregated; pedicels 2-7 mm. long with stiff hairs, straight to curving downward; sepals 5-7 mm. long, with some gland-tipped hairs among the others, awn tipped; petals pink or paler, ca. As long as sepals; style 10-14 mm. long, the beak 2 mm.; carpel-bodies 2-3 mm. long with +/- unequal ascending hairs; seeds oblong, reticulate, with 25-35 rows of somewhat elongate areolae.

Habitat: Frequent in grassy and shaded places below 5000 ft.; many Plant Communities; cismontane; to B.C., Atlantic Coast. April-June.

Name: Greek, geranos, crane from the beak-like fruit. (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 491). Carolinianum, pertaining to North or South Carolina (Bailey 12). Probably first identified in the Carolinas. (my comment).

General: Uncommon in the study area, with only one colony known and this on the north facing slope of upper Big Canyon and within the mitigation area planted by Fletcher Jones Motor Cars to Coastal Sage Scrub in 1997. Whether this plant was seeded by the Jones work is unknown. Very similar to G. dissectum. (my comments). The genus contains 250-300 species of temperate regions throughout the world. (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 491).

Text Ref: Hickman, Ed. 673; Munz, Flora So Calif. 492; Roberts 26.

Photo Ref: May-June 2000 # 3, June 2 99 # 4.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

Computer Ref: Plant Data 518.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 1/24/03.

June Photo

Geranium carolinianum L.

Geraniaceae

Geranium Family

Native

Carolina Geranium