Geranium californicum

California cranesbill

Family: Geraniaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California cranesbill is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada, southern California, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and northern eastern Sierra Nevada in moist sites, streambanks, meadows, and woodland at elevations of 1,000 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces white to rose flowers with lavender to purple veins, approximately 10 to 15 millimeters long with soft-hairy bases. Growing with ascending to erect stems 20 to 70 centimeters tall covered in soft hairs, it has a delicate, spreading form. Its leaves are deeply divided into 5 to 7 wedge-shaped segments, with blades 3 to 8 centimeters wide, creating an intricate, lacy appearance. The distinctive fruit features a narrow beak 21 to 23 millimeters long, ending in a 5 to 6 millimeter tip.

Habitat: Moist sites, streambanks, meadows, woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 1000-3000 m

Bioregions: SNH, SCo, TR, PR, n SNE.

California counties: Fresno, Tuolumne, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Tulare, Mariposa, Los Angeles, El Dorado, Kern, Madera, San Diego, Mono, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.