| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Statewide, certainly occurs in all 100 counties.
This is a very widespread species, ranging from MA to the West Coast, and south to FL and CA. | |
| Abundance | Very common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and common in the Mountains. | |
| Habitat | This is a native weed of disturbed habitats. It is found in lawns, weedy fields, roadsides, pastures, and other similar places. |
| Phenology | Blooms from March to June, and occasionally later in the season; fruits soon after flowering. | |
| Identification | This is a very familiar species across the state, probably confusable only with a few exotic species. It is branched from the base, with several basal leaves, and each stem reaches about 1 foot tall, rarely taller. The stem and branches are very pubescent. The stem leaves are opposite, and all leaves have long petioles (often about 2 inches long) and a highly dissected blade with 5-9 main lobes or segments (like a German cross), and each lobe even somewhat further cleft. Each leaf is about 2 inches across and long. From the leaf axils grow the dense flower clusters on very long stalks, often about 3 inches long and carrying the flowers above the leaves. The flower is pale pink to whitish, about 2/5-inch across, with 5 broad petals. The leaves look somewhat like those of the native G. maculatum, but that species is a larger and more robust plant of rich hardwood forests, and it has a much larger and brighter rose-colored flower. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Carolina Geranium | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
