CUT-LEAVED CRANE'S-BILL

Geranium dissectum

Crane's-bill (Geranium) Family [Geraniaceae]  

month8May month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8pink
inner
inner8indigo
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ5
stem
stem8round

1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
An erect to procumbent annual up to 60cm long.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
A profusion of leaves but only few small flowers.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
The jizz of the plant.


19th June 2019, nr. Sunderland Point, Hewsham, Lancs Photo: © RWD


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Usually two or more stalked leaves from every branch.


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Lake Dist. Photo: © RWD


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Leaves have a single mid-rib vein. Leaves reddish around edges and especially at the tip. White dense hairs, angled downwards. Un-opened flower bud bottom right, two developing fruits with 5-lobed pink stigmas still attached middle top.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Several un-opened flower buds plus a partly opened flower - with 5 petals each deeply but bluntly notched at the tip.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
The five pink petals have a faint darker central vein. Five light-green sepals surround the flower.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Flowers much smaller than Bloody Crane's-bill (pink rather than crimson) which also has similar deeply-cut leaves. Anthers a deep-blue colour.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
5-lobed stigma is pink.


12th July 2019, Greenside Road, Glenridding, Lake District. Photo: © RWD
A whole flower with full complement of 10 deep-blue anthers and a 5-lobed pinkish stigma.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
A junction with a paired flower (or three), two pairs of stalked leaves and with the main stem bifurcating. red bracts at every juncture.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Flowers often in pairs. Crimson-red bracts at stalk junctions. These two turning to fruit. The flower stalks are shortish (less that 25mm long) and fairly thick (rather than thin as in Long-Stalked Crane's-bill or many other Crane's-bills).


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Five arrow-head sepals, with an extended tip which is usually deep-red. Glandular hairs frequently on sepals and upper parts, including fruits (top right) still replete with crimson-red 5-lobed stigma.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Hairs normal elsewhere but hair-density often high.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
Leaves with 5 (up to 7) lobes often deeply-cut almost to the base, which are cut into sub-lobes, but best ID'd by the hairs on the leaf-stalks.


1st June 2011, Bridge End, Leek, Staffs. Photo: © RWD
A few crimson-red isosceles-triangular bracts tipped with a long narrow extension at the branches of the stems.


Could be confused with : Long-Stalked Crane's-bill (Geranium columbinum) which also has deeply-cut leaves, but that has: no glandular hairs and all hairs appressed flat to the stems/stalks/sepals (whereas they are not appressed on Cut-leaved Crane's-bill), the flower stalks are mostly under 25mm in length (mostly > 25mm long on Cut-leaved Crane's-bill), longer petals 7-10mm long (shorter at 4.5 - 6mm on Cut-leaved Crane's-bill), very long tips to the sepals. Other differences are also apparent.

Some similarities to : Bloody Crane's-bill (Geranium sanguineum) which also has deeply-cut leaves with the same number (5-7) of main lobes, but that has blood-red flowers which have much longer petals (14-22mm as opposed to 4.5 - 6mm).

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

A common medium length (up to 60cm) archaeophyte, either erect or procumbent, which inhabits grassy places or stony ground, waste ground or cultivated land and which is present throughout the UK.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Brown Argus



  Geranium dissectum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Geraniaceae  

Distribution
family8Cranesbill family8Geranium family8Geraniaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8geranium
Geranium
(Crane's-bills)

CUT-LEAVED CRANE'S-BILL

Geranium dissectum

Crane's-bill (Geranium) Family [Geraniaceae]  

WildFlowerFinder Homepage