Species: Geranium viscosissimum var. viscosissimum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. ex C.A. Mey.

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Geranium viscosissimum var. viscosissimum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. ex C.A. Mey.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Geraniaceae

Genus:

Geranium

Species Synonyms:

Geranium attenuilobum G.N. & F.F. Jones

Common Names:

sticky purple geranium

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southern British Columbia – southern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills, Wood Mountain

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland, Mixed Grassland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

moist, wooded, shrubby or grassy slopes

Associated species:

common yampah, mountain brome, plains rough fescue, Raynold’s sedge

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Vulnerable

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Sticky purple geranium is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan and is regionally restricted to the Cypress Hills and surrounding area. This species is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are known for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

30 – 90 cm

Roots:

rootstock stout, woody

Stem:

perennial, herbaceous, hairy, glandular

Leaves:

5 – 10 cm wide, deeply palmately lobed, lobes 5 – 7, hairs stiff and straight, somewhat glandular

Inflorescence:

terminal flower maturing first, usually 2-flowered; inflorescence stalks 2 – 6 cm long, densely glandular-hairy

Flowers:

sepals 8 – 12 mm long, awned; petals 14 – 20 mm long, hairy at base for 1/5 of length, pinkish lavender to purple; stamens 10, in two rows; stylar column 3 – 5 cm long

Fruits:

capsule splitting from the base upwards into 5 segments, recoiled when dry, glandular-hairy, beak 10 – 14 mm long; seeds 3 – 3.5 mm long, faintly net-veined, brownish

GERANIUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Petals < 12 mm long; anthers < 1 mm long; terminal beak of mature fruit lacking or < 6 mm long	Halenia
1 Petals > 12 mm long; anthers 2 – 3 mm long; terminal beak of mature fruit to over 1 cm long	2

2 Mature flower stalks more than 2x longer than sepals; stylar beak of fruit 3 – 5 mm long	G. bicknellii
2 Mature flower stalks equal to or less than 2x longer than calyx; stylar beak of fruit < 2.5 mm long	G. carolinianum var. sphaerospermum

3 Petals white or pale pink with darker veins, long hairy 1/2 their length from base; inflorescence with purple glandular hairs	G. richardsonii
3 Petals pinkish, lavender to purple, long hairy 1/5 their length from base; inflorescence with yellow glandular hairs	4

4 Lower leaf stalks and stem hairless to hairy but not glandular	G. viscosissimum var. incisum
4 Lower leaf stalks and stem hairy and glandular	G. viscosissimum var. viscosissimum