Geranium Viscosissimum, Sticky Purple Geranium
Plants > Wildflowers > Geraniaceae > Geranium Viscosissimum
Common names:
Sticky purple geranium, crane's bill
Family:
Scientific name:
Geranium viscosissimum
Main flower color:
Range:
The Rocky Mountains and all states to the west
Height:
Between 1 and 3 feet
Habitat:
Light woodland, grassland, meadows, from low to high elevations
Leaves:
Up to 5 inches long, divided into 5 to 7 segments with sharply pointed lobes along each edge
Season:
May to August
The flower color of geranium viscosissimum ranges from light pink to a rich purple, always with darker veins running lengthwise through the five rounded petals. Five narrow green sepals (tapering to a short spike) grow underneath the petals, visible only from below, and the flower head is supported by hairy, green, sticky stalks, branching readily. The flower is centered on ten stamens, curving away from the pistil. Leaves have many pointed lobes, growing around the base and some of the way up the stem. The lower halves of the upper surfaces of the petals are hairy. The fruit consists of a rigid capsule about 2 inches long, with a glandular (sticky) surface.
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