Geranium caespitosum
A perennial herb native to the western U.S. and northern Mexico with purple-to-red flowers, palmately lobed leaves, deep fleshy roots, and a preference for damp soils in conifer forest understories and canyons; blooms May–September.
Common Names
Pineywoods Geranium, Tufted Geranium, Crane's Bill, Purple Cluster Geranium, Purple Geranium, Wild Geranium, Fremont's Geranium, Parry's Geranium, Purple Wild Geranium
Summary
Pineywoods geranium is a perennial herb native to the western United States and northern Mexico, growing in tufts or cushions with flowers held above the clump. It reaches 1–2 ft tall and 1–2 ft wide, with stems 20–70 cm long; leaves opposite, palmately divided into 5–7 lobes, up to 3 inches; flowers purple to pink in cymose clusters about 1.5 inches across, blooming May–Sep; fruit a schizocarp of 5 mericarps.
Cultivation and uses: suitable for xeriscape and native plant gardens; very cold hardy, probably below 0°F; ethnobotany includes an astringent use, decoction of the roots for diarrhea, roots crushed into a paste to treat sores, and the whole plant fed as turkey food.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-2 feet
Spread
1-2 feet
Sunlight Requirements
full sun, partial sun, partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained soils.
Bloom Color
Pink to purple
Bloom Time
Spring and Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Yellow to red
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- E.James
- Publication
- Account Exped. Pittsburgh , ed. 2: 3 (1823)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Geraniales
- Family
- Geraniaceae
- Genus
- Geranium
Synonyms
Geranium atropurpureum Geranium atropurpureum var. cowenii Geranium caespitosum f. albiflorum Geranium caespitosum var. fremontii Geranium caespitosum var. gracile Geranium caespitosum var. marginale Geranium caespitosum var. parryi Geranium cowenii Geranium fremontii Geranium fremontii var. cowenii Geranium fremontii var. parryi Geranium furcatum Geranium gracile Geranium intermedium Geranium marginale Geranium pattersonii Geranium pentagynum Geranium toquimense Geranium atropurpureum var. furcatum Geranium caespitosum subsp. atropurpureum Geranium eremophilum Geranium parryi Geranium richardsonii var. intermedium Geranium caespitosum var. eremophilum