How to identify Geranium bicknellii (Northern Cranesbill)
This project collects observations of Geranium bicknellii (Northern Cranesbill) in California for the purpose of facilitating identification and preventing misidentification of this species in iNaturalist.
Photo tips:
- It’s important to get a picture of the entire plant.
- It's also helpful to get close-up pictures of the face of the flowers, sepals, leaves, and fruits, if present.
- If there are multiple plants in the picture, it’s helpful to crop your photo to focus on the plant of interest.
How to identify Geranium bicknellii:
- Height: It may be erect or decumbent and grow up to half a meter long.
- Stems are hairy.
- Leaves: Each leaf is several centimeters long and wide and is divided into several lobes, each of which may have smaller lobes or teeth.
- Flowers grow singly or in pairs and have pointed sepals and small lavender petals, each with a notch in the tip.
- Fruits: The fruit has a rounded body with a long, straight style about 2 centimeters in length and tipped with a small beak.
- Habitat: Can be found in forest and woodland areas.
Similar Species:
- Geranium californicum (California Geranium)
- Geranium richardsonii (Richardson’s Geranium)
- Geranium potentilloides (Cinquefoil Geranium)
- Geranium carolineanum (Carolina Crane’s Bill)
How to differentiate G. bicknellii from G. californicum:
- See the following Jepson eFlora web page for a helpful illustration: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=26701
References:
- Calflora: https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=3795
- Jepson eFlora: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=26701
iNaturalist:
** https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/77251-Geranium-bicknellii
** https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geranium-bicknellii-bicknell-s-geranium
** https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniums-cranesbills-california
