''Geranium caespitosum'', the purple cluster geranium or pineywoods geranium, is a perennial herb native to the western United States and northern Mexico. Its US distribution includes
Arizona,
Colorado,
Nevada,
New Mexico,
Texas,
Utah, and
Wyoming.
[''Geranium caespitosum''.]
PLANTS Profile. USDA. Accessed 23 June 2013.
It has a purple to red flower with 5 stamens, and the
sepals are acuminate, tapering with a long point. It has palmately lobed leaves. The fruit is a
schizocarp made up of 5 mericarps. Flowers bloom May to September.
It grows in damp soils, as in the understory of coniferous forests and in canyons.
Uses
The
Gosiute
The Goshutes are a tribe of Western Shoshone Native Americans. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today:
* Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, located in Nevada and Utah
* Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah ...
use the plant as an astringent and a decoction of the root to treat diarrhea. The
Keres use roots crushed into a paste to treat sores, and the whole plant as turkey food.
[''Geranium caespitosum''.]
Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan - Dearborn. Accessed 23 June 2013.
Varieties
The four
varieties may known by the following common names:
*''G. c.'' var. ''caespitosum'' – pineywoods geranium
*''G. c.'' var. ''eremophilum'' – purple cluster geranium
*''G. c.'' var. ''fremontii'' – Fremont's geranium
*''G. c.'' var. ''parryi'' – Parry's geranium
In the United States, all four varieties are found in Arizona and New Mexico, and the purple cluster geranium is only found there. The other varieties are all found in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and the pineywoods variety extends into Nevada and Texas.
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]
Image gallery
File:Geraniumcaespitosum1.jpg, red individual
File:Purple geranium Geranium caespitosum (7924069478).jpg, lilac individual
Image:Geraniumcaespitosumleaf.JPG, foliage
Image:Geraniaceae - Geranium caespitosum var fremontii-1.JPG, var. ''fremontii''
Image:Geraniaceae - Geranium caespitosum var fremontii-2.JPG, var. ''fremontii''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5549860
caespitosum
Plants described in 1823
Flora of Arizona
Flora of Colorado
Flora of New Mexico
Flora of Nevada
Flora of Texas
Flora of Utah
Flora of Wyoming
Flora of Mexico
Flora of the United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status