[Geraniums East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Cut-leaf Crane's-bill, Cutleaf Geranium, Cut-leaf Geranium

Geranium dissectum

Synonym: Geranium laxum

Cut-leaf Crane's-bill, Cutleaf Geranium, Cut-leaf Geranium: Geranium dissectum (Synonym: Geranium laxum)

Characteristics:

Cut-leaf geranium is an annual with the herbage covered with some downward to spreading hairs, which are usually glandular above. The several stems are spreading to erect and range from 15-60 cm long. The leaf blades are rounded-cordate and 2-6 cm wide. They are palmately compound with the leaf margins parted nearly to the base of the blade (See photo above.). The blade consists of 5-7 major divisions with each division again deeply cleft into linear segments.

The flowers have 5 pink to purplish petals which barely exceed the sepals which are 4-5 mm long. The sepals are bristle-tipped.


Habitat:

Cut-leaf geranium is a plant of disturbed places, such as roadsides, fields, and waste areas.


Range:

Cut-leaf geranium is an introduced, weedy species from Europe which may be found sporadically throughout the central and eastern United States and may be found along or near the Pacific coast from British Columbia to California.


Paul Slichter