Geranium richardsonii Fisch. & Trautv

By Rebecca Reaves, Native Plants of Arizona 2005
Common Names: Wild geranium (1,7), Richardson 's geranium (1,4,8), Crane's bill, Nosebleed plant (4)
Family: Geraniaceae(8).
Synonymy: Geranium californica (2).
Etymology: Latin geranion means “storks bill”. The Greek meaning of geranos means “a crane which refers to the shape of the fruit (1,2,3,5,6,9). Richardsonii refers to the Scottish naturalist (Sir John Richardson, 1787-1865) who found the plant (3,7).

Identification
Growth Form: Rhizomatous (8) perennial herbaceous plant (2,8)
Roots: Rhizomatous with root reaching up to four inches deep. Can be cultivated from the bare root (8).
Stem: Ascending to erect, branched stems are glabrous to sparsely hairy and have stipules (1,2,9).
Leaves: Palmately lobed leaves with long petioles. Upper leaves can be either alternate or opposite and the blade is usually rounded (1,2,9).
Inflorescence/Flower: Flowers are conspicuous in branched clusters and have 5 papery-thin white to pale lavender un-fused petals with purple veins (1,2,8). Flowers contain up to 10 stamens (2,9)
Fruit: Fruit have brown woody persistent styles that break apart and curve into a tight coil. The fruit form the 2-3mm “beak” in this way (1,2). They contain one to two dry coarsely pitted brown seeds (2,8).
Similar species: Geranium richardsonii can be identified and distinguished from other species in the genera by flower coloration (1).

Ecology
Life history : Perennial herbaceous to woody plant that can grow up to three feet tall when mature and with proper moisture (1,2).
Native/Introduced: Native (1).
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: Flowers in very late spring (8) and through the summer in Northern Arizona .
Distribution: In Arizona it is found in riparian areas and cool drainages. Found in Arizona , California , Colorado , Idaho , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , South Dakota , Utah , Washington , and Wyoming (8). The elevation range is from approximately 4000 up to 8000 feet on moist sites in meadows or cool drainages (2).

Uses
Northern Cheyenne used this plant as snuff to stop nosebleeds (4). Roots can be used as an astringent (1). Some geraniums have been cultivated for oils, and for ornamental plants (2).

References

Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association.2005 edition. An Annotated Catalog of the Native and Naturalized Flora of Arizona . AERA Flagstaff , Arizona .
Berkeley.2005. Geraniaceae. World Wide Web online resource. http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4416,4426,4437 . Accessed 11/21/05 .
Califlora. 2005. Geranium. World Wide Web online resource. http://www.califlora.net/botanicalnames/pageG.html#Geranium . Accessed 11/21/05 .
Coffey, Timothy. 1993. The history and folklore of North American Wildflowers . Facts on File Inc. New York , New York .
Coombes, Allen J. 1985. Dictionary of Plant Names . Timber press. Beaverton Oregon .
Quattrocchi, Umberto. 2000. CRC Dictionary of Plant Names- Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and etymology . Volume II D-L. CRC press Inc. Boca Raton, Florida.
Southwest Colorado Wildflowers.2005.Geranium richardsonii (Wild Geranium). World Wide Web online resource. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Pink%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/geranium.htm . Accessed 11/21/05 .
USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 ( http://plants.usda.gov ). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center , Baton Rouge , LA 70874-4490 USA .
Wildflowers. 2005. Geraniaceae (Geranium Family). World Wide Web online resource. http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Scientific_Name=Geranium%20richardsonii . Accessed 11/21/05 .

Geranium richardsonii Fisch. & Trautv By Rebecca Reaves, Native Plants of Arizona 2005 Common Names: Wild geranium (1,7), Richardson 's geranium (1,4,8), Crane's bill, Nosebleed plant (4) Family: Geraniaceae(8). Synonymy: Geranium californica (2). Etymology: Latin geranion means “storks bill”. The Greek meaning of geranos means “a crane which refers to the shape of the fruit (1,2,3,5,6,9). Richardsonii refers to the Scottish naturalist (Sir John Richardson, 1787-1865) who found the plant (3,7). Identification Growth Form: Rhizomatous (8) perennial herbaceous plant (2,8) Roots: Rhizomatous with root reaching up to four inches deep. Can be cultivated from the bare root (8). Stem: Ascending to erect, branched stems are glabrous to sparsely hairy and have stipules (1,2,9). Leaves: Palmately lobed leaves with long petioles. Upper leaves can be either alternate or opposite and the blade is usually rounded (1,2,9). Inflorescence/Flower: Flowers are conspicuous in branched clusters and have 5 papery-thin white to pale lavender un-fused petals with purple veins (1,2,8). Flowers contain up to 10 stamens (2,9) Fruit: Fruit have brown woody persistent styles that break apart and curve into a tight coil. The fruit form the 2-3mm “beak” in this way (1,2). They contain one to two dry coarsely pitted brown seeds (2,8). Similar species: Geranium richardsonii can be identified and distinguished from other species in the genera by flower coloration (1). Ecology Life history : Perennial herbaceous to woody plant that can grow up to three feet tall when mature and with proper moisture (1,2). Native/Introduced: Native (1). Photosynthetic pathway: Phenology: Flowers in very late spring (8) and through the summer in Northern Arizona . Distribution: In Arizona it is found in riparian areas and cool drainages. Found in Arizona , California , Colorado , Idaho , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , South Dakota , Utah , Washington , and Wyoming (8). The elevation range is from approximately 4000 up to 8000 feet on moist sites in meadows or cool drainages (2). Uses Northern Cheyenne used this plant as snuff to stop nosebleeds (4). Roots can be used as an astringent (1). Some geraniums have been cultivated for oils, and for ornamental plants (2). References Arizona Ethnobotanical Research Association.2005 edition. An Annotated Catalog of the Native and Naturalized Flora of Arizona . AERA Flagstaff , Arizona . Berkeley.2005. Geraniaceae. World Wide Web online resource. http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4416,4426,4437 . Accessed 11/21/05 . Califlora. 2005. Geranium. World Wide Web online resource. http://www.califlora.net/botanicalnames/pageG.html#Geranium . Accessed 11/21/05 . Coffey, Timothy. 1993. The history and folklore of North American Wildflowers . Facts on File Inc. New York , New York . Coombes, Allen J. 1985. Dictionary of Plant Names . Timber press. Beaverton Oregon . Quattrocchi, Umberto. 2000. CRC Dictionary of Plant Names- Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and etymology . Volume II D-L. CRC press Inc. Boca Raton, Florida. Southwest Colorado Wildflowers.2005.Geranium richardsonii (Wild Geranium). World Wide Web online resource. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Pink%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/geranium.htm . Accessed 11/21/05 . USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 ( http://plants.usda.gov ). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center , Baton Rouge , LA 70874-4490 USA . Wildflowers. 2005. Geraniaceae (Geranium Family). World Wide Web online resource. http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Scientific_Name=Geranium%20richardsonii . Accessed 11/21/05 .