Flower profile

Carolina crane's-bill

Geranium carolinianum

Native in the lower 48

Carolina crane's-bill is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–May.

47states

4of our state lists

17,215U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi

Quick look

Geranium carolinianum is a species of geranium known by the common name Carolina crane's-bill, or Carolina geranium. It is an annual herb native to North America, where it is widespread and grows in many types of habitat. There are two varieties; G. carolinianum var. carolinianum and G. carolinianum var. sphaerospermum. It may be considered an invasive species outside the southeastern United States.
From Wikipedia's article Geranium carolinianum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Geraniaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 47 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,615 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #42 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 875 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #33 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 615 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #101 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. ^iNaturalist

Carolina crane's-bill gift ideas

Handmade carolina crane's-bill gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Carolina crane's-bill art print
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Carolina crane's-bill greeting card
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Carolina crane's-bill mug
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Carolina crane's-bill earrings
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Carolina crane's-bill embroidery pattern
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Carolina crane's-bill sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,220 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Georgia	Native	March–April	1,615
Louisiana	Native	January–April	875
Alabama	Native	February–May	615
Mississippi	Native	February–May	315

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NH (S1), NV (S1), UT (S1), VT (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Leaves are edible but bitter” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Carolina crane's-bill in 47 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Bartow, Ben Hill, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Clarke, Cook, Dade, Elbert, Fulton, Grady, Hall, Irwin, Lowndes, Madison, McIntosh, Mitchell, Morgan, Murray, Richmond, Seminole, Tift, Walton, Wheeler, Wilkes.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Chilton, Greene, Hale, Lawrence, Lee, Marengo, Mobile, Tuscaloosa.

More Georgia flowers

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Geranium maculatum

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American pokeweed

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American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

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Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GECA5.
iNaturalist, Geranium carolinianum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Geranium carolinianum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Geranium carolinianum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: kcthetc1 via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.