Shining Crane's-bill
Geranium lucidum
Its seeds are launched explosively from a spring-loaded structure called a 'crane's bill', which can fling them several meters away from the parent plant.
- Scientific name
- Geranium lucidum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Geraniales › Geraniaceae › Geranium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Shaded woodlands, limestone rocks, old walls, and hedge banks
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, North America (introduced)
- Size
- 10 to 35 cm in height
- Lifespan
- 1 year (annual)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Generally secure, though local populations can be affected by intensive land development and over-clearing of woodland understories.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely touch and observe this plant. However, wash your hands after handling wild plants, and avoid carrying its sticky seeds on your clothes to prevent spreading it to non-native areas.
Geranium lucidum , commonly known as shining cranesbill or (in North America) shining geranium or shiny geranium , is a herbaceous annual plant of the genus Geranium . It is native to Europe, western Asia and North Africa. It has been introduced to North America as a garden plant and in places, particularly the Pacific Northwest, has become naturalised and is viewed as an invasive species and noxious weed.
Photo: Patrick Hacker, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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