Carolina Crane's-bill (Geranium carolinianum) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Carolina crane's-bill is a small native wildflower that turns up in lawns, roadsides, and old fields across much of the United States. Its tiny pale pink to white flowers crowd at the branch tips in spring, followed by upright, beak-shaped fruits that fling their seeds when ripe. It is also called Carolina geranium.

Appearance

Growth form: An annual herb usually 8–12 in (20–30 cm) tall, sometimes taller, with much-branched, finely hairy stems that are often tinged red.
Leaves: Leaves are kidney-shaped to round, up to 3 in (8 cm) across, and deeply cut into 3–9 (usually 5) lobes with narrow, blunt tips. Hairy on both sides; the whole plant may turn bright red as it matures.
Flowers: Flowers are about ¼–⅜ in (6–10 mm) across, white to pale pink or lavender with darker lines, and come in pairs. The sharp-tipped sepals are as long as or longer than the slightly notched petals. Late in the season, the plant also makes flowers without petals.
Flowering time: Late March through July in much of its range; June through August in Minnesota.
Fruit: An upright, hairy fruit with a beak up to about ½ in (1.5 cm) long — the "crane's bill."

Look-alikes

Bicknell's crane's-billGeranium bicknellii

Bicknell's has long flower stalks (about ⅜–2⅜ in / 1–6 cm) with flowers spread along the upper branches, and a longer beak on the fruit. Carolina crane's-bill has short stalks with flowers crowded at the branch tips.

Why they get mixed upBoth bear small pink flowers in pairs.

Cut-leaved crane's-billGeranium dissectum

Cut-leaved crane's-bill has narrower, pointed leaf segments and short, spreading, often sticky hairs on the fruit. Carolina crane's-bill has blunter segments and longer hairs pointing upward; a close-up photo of the fruit helps.

Why they get mixed upBoth are weedy annuals with finely divided leaves and small pink flowers.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Lawns
Roadsides
Old fields
Rocky prairies
Range: Native to North America and found across much of the continental U.S., including all six New England states, and south into Mexico.
Preferred conditions: Prefers sunny, open spots with poor, dry, sandy or gravelly soil and little competition, including rock outcrops and disturbed ground.
Flowering: Flowers Mar–Jul
Flowers Mar–Jul

Life cycle

Seed dispersal: When ripe, the five sections of the beak curl up from the base and fling the seeds away from the plant.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: Common in many areas, but considered extremely rare and listed as endangered in New Hampshire, and known only from historical records in Vermont.