Geranium molle (Dove's-foot Crane's-Bill)
This project collects observations of Geranium molle (Dove's-foot Crane's-Bill) in California to facilitate identification and prevent misidentification of this species.
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 molle:
- Height: 5–30 cm (2–12 in); very branched plant, quite hairy, with several ascending stems.
- Stem: decumbent to erect, 1–4.5 dm (4–16 in); hairs +- sparse, soft.
- Leaves are round in outline and palmately lobed to (divided 50‒75% to base). Leaf blades are 0.9–5.2 cm (0.4–2 in) wide with 7–9 segments. Both upper and lower leaf surfaces are covered with many soft, spreading hairs. Basal leaves are arranged in a rosette, the upper ones are sessile (attached directly by the base, not raised upon a stalk or peduncle), rounded and hairy, with a long petiole of about 5–12 mm. There are red stipules on the leaf petioles. Upper leaves may have a different structure than mature leaves.
- Flowers have radial symmetry. Petals, which are no more than 6 mm in length, are pink and bilobal/notched. Each petal is deeply lobed, resembling a dove's foot. Sepals, which are no more than 5 mm in length, are covered with spreading, glandular hairs.
- Fruit: mericarp 1.8–2.1 mm, transversely wrinkled, glabrous, basal callus 0; beak 6–11 mm, narrow tip 1–3 mm; stigmas 1–2 mm. Seed: smooth.
- See the following observation for a good description of this plant's characteristics: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42162865#activity_comment_4379750
Similar Species:
- Geranium dissectum (Cut-leaved Crane's-Bill)
- Geranium pyrenaicum (Hedgerow geranium)
- Geranium pusillum (Small flowered geranium)
- Geranium rotundifolium (Round-leaved Geranium)
- Geranium lucidum (Shiny Crane's Bill)
How to differentiate G. molle from G. dissectum:
- G. molle has shallower and wider leaf lobes; G. dissectum has deeply dissected leaf lobes.
- G. molle petals are lobed; G. dissectum petals are notched
How to differentiate G. molle from G. pyrenaicum:
- G. molle flowers are smaller and narrower than G. pyrenaicum and the petals are more deeply lobed.
- G. molle flowers are pink; G. pyrenaicum flowers are dark purple.
- G. molle petals slightly exceed the length of the sepals; G. pyrenaicum sepals are about half the length of the sepals.
- G. molle has long spreading, simple hairs on the pedicels of flowers; G. pyrenaicum does not.
How to differentiate G. molle from G. pusillum:
- G. molle flowers are much smaller than G. pusillum and the petals are more deeply lobed.
- G. molle has darker pink flowers with broader petals and prominent veins within the petal; G. pusillum has narrower petals and its petal veins are not prominent.
- G. molle has petals about twice as long as the sepals; G. pusillum has petals 1 – 1.5 times the length of the sepals.
- Also see: http://cambridgewildflowers.blogspot.com/2019/09/dovesfoot-cranesbill-vs-small-flowered.html
How to differentiate G. molle from G. lucidum:
- G. molle leaves are fuzzy (not glossy) with prominent veins; G. lucidum leaves are glossy with less prominent veins and have few hairs.
- G. molle petals are deeply notched (it looks like the flowers have 10 petals instead of five); G. lucidum petals are smooth and round.
- G. molle stems are less red; G. lucidum tends to have red stems.
References:
- Calflora: https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?namesoup=geranium+molle
- Jepson eFlora: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=26729
- Montery Wildflowers: https://montereywildflowers.com/geraniaceae-geranium/
- Yosemite Wildflowers: Dove's Foot Geranium (Geranium molle) (yosemitehikes.com)
iNaturalist:
** https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/53076-Geranium-molle
** https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniums-cranesbills-california
** https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geranium-molle-dove-s-foot-crane-s-bill
