Geranium pusillum (Small-flowered Crane's-Bill)'s Journal

February 15, 2022

How to identify Geranium pusillum (Small-flowered Crane’s Bill)

This project collects observations of Geranium pusillum (Small-flowered 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 pusillum:

  • Leaves: The leaves are simple, 1.5-5 cm broad, palmately divided into 7 wedge-shaped segments. Leaf segments are typically 3-lobed, round in outline, and somewhat hairy. The leaf shape is similar to G. molle
  • Flowers: The inflorescence is 2-flowered. Flowers are radial, on pedicels 6‒16 mm; 5 sepals are 3‒4.5 mm, not ridged, mucronate or with short awns, not bristle-tipped; petals 2‒3 mm, somewhat notched or shallowly lobed, always very light pinkish violet. There are 10 stamens, 5 of which are fertile. The sepals have long hairs.
  • Habitat: Disturbed open places.
  • Flowering Time: March through September

G-pusillum-for-journal

Similar Species:

  • Geranium molle (Dove's-foot Crane's-Bill)
  • Geranium core-core (Alderney’s Crane’s-Bill)

How to differentiate G. pusillum from G. molle:

  • G. pusillum has larger flowers that are more shallowly lobed; G. molle flowers are much smaller and more deeply lobed.
  • G. pusillum always has very light pinkish violet flowers; G. molle has darker pink flowers.
  • G. pusillum has narrower petals and its petal veins are not prominent; G. molle has flowers with broader petals and prominent veins within the petal.
  • G. pusillum has petals 1 to 1.5 times the length of the sepals; G. molle has petals about 2x as long as the sepals.

How to differentiate G. pusillum from G. core-core:

  • G. pusillum flowers are always a very light pinkish violet; G. core-coreflowers are a darker pink to purple.
  • G. pusillum flowers are narrower and more deeply notched; G. core-core petals are broader and not so distinctly notched.
  • G. pusillum sepals are covered in long hairs; G. core-core sepals are smooth, not hairy.

References:

Posted on February 15, 2022 12:12 AM by truthseqr truthseqr | 1 comment | Leave a comment

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