Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill)

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 5-11-20, #698-9.

Carolina Crane’s Bill, Carolina Geranium

Geranium carolinianum

jer-AY-nee-um kair-oh-lin-ee-AN-um

**Synonyms of Geranium carolinianum (12) (Updated on 12-18-23 from Plants of the World Online):** Geranium atrum Moench (1794)(nom. superfl.), Geranium carolinianum f. albiflorum B.Boivin (1967), Geranium carolinianum var. confertiflorum Fernald (1935), Geranium carolinianum var. confertifolium Fernald (1935), Geranium carolinianum var. sphaerospermum (Fernald) Breitung (1957), Geranium carolinum Crantz (1766), Geranium dissectum var. carolinianum (L.) Hook.f. (1864), Geranium langloisii Greene (1897), Geranium lanuginosum Jacq. (1797)(nom. illeg.), Geranium lenticulum Raf. (1837), Geranium sphaerospermum Fernald (1935), Geranium thermale Rydb. (1900)

Geranium carolinianum L. is the accepted scientific name for Carolina Crane’s Bill. It was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

The genus Geranium Tourn. ex L. was also described by Linnaeus but he gave credit to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort for first naming and describing the genus. Many databases omit the “Tourn. ex”.

As of 12-18-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 350 species in the Geranium genus. It is a member of the plant family Geraniaceae with a total of 8 genera. Those numbers could change periodically as updates are made on POWO.

Distribution map of Geranium carolinianum from Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/. Retrieved on November 25, 2021.

The above distribution map for Geranium carolinianum is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native and purple is where it has been introduced. The map from the USDA Plants Database for the United States and Canada is somewhat different. The species is listed as invasive in several states.

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A BETTER POSITIVE ID.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 4-23-20, #690-40.

There have been several small colonies of Geranium carolinianum growing on the farm for several years. I first noticed a single plant in 2020 growing in the Ranunculus sardous (Hairy Buttercup) south of the main pond and an area behind the chicken house in tall grass. In 2022 I found several patches behind the barn. According to information online, it can go a little overboard but that hasn’t happened here. I think it is a really neat species because of the interesting leaves.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 5-11-20, #698-9.

Geranium carolinianum is an annual or biennial member of the plant family Geraniaceae depending on your climate. It is found throughout most of Missouri and is native throughout North America and Mexico, although perhaps sporadically in some states. It has been introduced to the middle part of South America, India, and several Asian countries. Key features are its palmately lobed leaves, small flowers with long sepals, and hairy stems.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 5-11-20, #698-15.

Even though most websites say Geranium carolinianum prefers poor soil that is gravelly, sandy, or hard clay, here on the farm it grows in fairly fertile sandy loam.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 4-23-20, #690-42.

The somewhat bushy plants can grow from 12-25” tall on erect to ascending (sprawling) stems. The green to somewhat reddish stems are fairly hairy (pubescent) and appear fuzzy. Most of the hairs are non-glandular with glandular hairs toward the stem tips.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 4-23-20, #690-43.

New stem growth is covered with white hairs, so much so that the stems appear white.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 5-11-20, #698-11.

Even without flowers, these plants have really neat leaves. If the leaves didn’t have all those lobes they would be somewhat round, larger leaves about 3” wide and slightly shorter. Information says leaves are somewhat kidney-shaped, deeply palmately 5-9-lobed. The lobes are deeply 3 or 5-lobed, sometimes the margins are toothed or have additional lobes. Leaf surfaces are sparsely to densely pubescent (hairy). Lower leaves have long petioles (leaf stems) while the upper leaves are smaller and have shorter petioles.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 4-23-20, #690-46.

The above photo shows heavy veining on the undersides of the leaves. Leaf undersides are paler in color than the upper surface due to the very short white hairs.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 4-23-20, #690-44.

The leaves are also “stipulate” meaning there are “stipules” at the base of the petiole where they attach the plant’s stem. Stipules are “leaf-like” appendages, usually in pairs, at the base of the leaf stem. With Geranium carolinianum, the stipules are a pinkish color.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Crane’s Bill) on 5-22-22, #882-10.

Flowers grow in pairs or clusters at the tips of stems and branches on fairly short peduncles from the upper leaf axils.

The above photo of Geranium carolinianum flowers was taken by Gerrit Davidse and published on the Tropicos and Flora of Missouri websites. Tropicos is published on the internet at https://www.tropicos.org/home. This photo was retrieved on March 29, 2024.

Individual flowers are approximately 1/8 to 3/8” wide and have 5 pale pink, lavender to near white petals with darker lines radiating from the base. The petals normally have notched tips. Surrounding the petals are 5 green sepals with elongated awns making them as long or longer than the petals. The sepals are covered with non-glandular hairs. Inside the flower are 10 stamens that surround the ovary with green to pinkish filaments, a 5-carpellate ovary, and 5 green styles that are united at the base.

One website suggests new flowers are produced continuously, but later flowers are cleistogamous, meaning they are asexual and pollinate inside a closed flower. I haven’t read this on any other site, so I’ll have to investigate further…

Flowers of Geranium carolininum are produced from May through July.

Geranium carolinianum (Carolina Cranesbill) on 6-4-20, #707-1.

Once pollination is complete, flowers are replaced by an odd-looking capsule-like structure with long beaks. This “beak” is called a schizocarp and, in this species, it is divided into 5 sections that are called mericarps.

The above photo of Geranium carolinianum mature fruit was taken by Gerrit Davidse and published on the Tropicos. Tropicos is published on the internet at https://www.tropicos.org/home. This photo was retrieved on March 29, 2024.

Remember the 5-carpellate ovary? It’s somewhat hard to explain, and I’m no botanist… At the base of each “beak”, which I believe is (or was) the style, are 5 carpels that contain a single seed.

The above photo of Geranium carolinianum fruits dehiscing was taken by Gerrit Davidse and published on the Tropicos. Tropicos is published on the internet at https://www.tropicos.org/home. This photo was retrieved on March 29, 2024.

The mericarps are dehiscent, meaning they split open to fling out the seeds.

The Missouri Botanical Garden publishes several great websites including Tropicos, Flora of Missouri, and Missouri Plants. The Missouri Plants website has been my number-one source for wildflower identification for many years and has great photos and descriptions.

I will continue adding more photos and hopefully, I can take better close-ups to replace what I have borrowed. Practice makes perfect. 🙂

There are more photos at the bottom of the page under the links for further reading.

I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the family farm and in other areas. The farm is in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 wildflower species (most have pages listed on the right side of the blog). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a horticulturalist I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
MISSOURI PLANTS
MSU-MIDWEST WEEDS AND WILDFLOWERS
MIZZU WEED ID
iNATURALIST
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
DAVE’S GARDEN
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERs
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
GO BOTANY
GARDENING KNOW HOW
EAT THE WEEDS
FORAGING TEXAS

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂