longstalk cranesbill (Geranium columbinum)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMON NAMES:
longstalk cranesbill
long-stalked crane's-bill
dove's-foot cranesbill

 

SCIENTIFIC SYNONYMS: There are no scientific synonyms for
Geranium columbinum.

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Pending confirmation.

 

TAXONOMY: The currently acccepted scientific name for longstalk
cranesbill is Geranium columbinum L.

 

NATIVE STATUS: Introduced, United States and Canada.

 

GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

 

Habit: Longstalk cranesbill is an annual that reaches on average 5.9–12

inches in height, with a maximum of 24 inches. The stem is more or less

erect, sparsely hairy and quite branched, the long, slender stalks being a distinguishing feature.

 

Leaves: The leaves are opposite, approximately pentagonal and palmate

and the leaf lobes have two to three deep cuts. The leaves are often edged

red andstand clear of the stems. The leaf shape is similar to a pigeon's foot

(hence the Latin epithet columbinus).

 

Flowers: The flowers are pink to purple, 0.59–0.79 inches in size, with
five obovate-heart-shaped petals as long as the sepals. The petals are 7-9
mm long, only slightly cleft, with distinctive veining. The corollas are sur-
rounded by bristle-tipped sepals which are also slightly striped and are as
long as the petals.

 

Fruit/Seeds: Five, erect, mostly hairless, non-glandular, about 2.5 cm long, single-seeded, rounded base, beaked, nutlike segments surrounding remnant elongated style column of each flower. Each nutlike segment has a 4 - 5 mm long, narrowed beak at its tip, which is attached to the lower part of the style column, and then is pulled upwards by the coiling outer wall of the style column, yet stays attached to the entire fruiting structure and ejects the seed from the main body of the nutlike segment.

 

Roots:  Insufficient information.

 

REGENERATION PROCESS: Longstalk cranesbill propogates itself by
reseeding.

 

HABITAT TYPES: Typical habitats for longstalk cranesbill is in woods,
hedgerows and roadsides.

 

SITE CHARACTERISTIC: Longstalk cranesbill prefers moderately dry,
nutrient-rich calcareous soils; it can also be found on rocky ground.

 

SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT: Flowering is from early to mid-summer
(June to August).

 

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION: Longstalk cranesbill has a very fragment-

ed distribution. As an introduced species, it can be found in the mid-Atlan-

tic states, from North Carolina into New York and Massachusetts, but not

into the New England states or Canadian maritime provinces (with the ex-

ception of Prince Edward Island) . With the exception of Georgia, long-

stalk cranebill is not found in the Gulf Coast states, but does occur in

Tennessee and Kentucky north through the Ohio River Valley into Quebec

and Ontario provinces. It has been reported occurring in Arkansas, North

and South Dakota, and Colorado, and is found in all the far western states

but not the Canadian provinces.

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION: To be determined.

 

IMPORTANCE AND USES: There is inadequate information pertaining
to the importance and uses of longstalk cranesbill.

 

 

Back to Inventory of Herb/Forb Families and Species