''Geranium viscosissimum'', commonly known as the sticky purple geranium, is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

in the flowering plant family

Geraniaceae Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus '' Geranium''. The family includes both the genus '' Geranium'' (the cranesbills, or true geraniums) and the garden plants call ...

. It is thought to be a protocarnivorous plant.

Distribution

This herbaceous perennial plant is native to the

Northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, including in the

Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...

and

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

regions; and to

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

, including in the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...

. Habitats it is found in include ponderosa pine forest, northern

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

woodland, lowland to higher elevation

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...

s; from in elevation.

Description

''Geranium viscosissimum'' is a large, clumped tall perennial wild geranium. The stem, leaves, and flower stalks are covered with sticky hairs. The right-green leaves are dissected, many-toothed, and deeply-lobed. Its bloom period is April to September, depending on elevation and latitude. It has saucer-shaped, pink-to-purple flowers measuring with reddish-purple lines on the petals. They occur in an open cluster near the top of strong, branching and leafy flower stalks, which are tall.

Carnivorous syndrome

In his 1999 journal article, G. G. Spomer tested several plants in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

for the

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

syndrome, using the digestion of proteins as the diagnostic tool to determine which plants appeared to produce

protease A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products ...

enzymes capable of breaking down potential prey. ''Geranium viscosissimum'' displayed a capability to digest and absorb the ¹⁴C-labeled algal protein placed on the sticky trichomes that the plant possesses. However, it is not known whether the digestive enzymes were produced by the plant itself or surface microbes. Additionally, some definitions of carnivory require the plant to gain some tangible benefit in capturing and digesting prey, such as increased seed yield or growth. Such an experiment has not been done with this species.

Uses

The flowers and leaves of this species are edible, but reported to be astringent. The flowers can be added to salads or used as a garnish.

Medicinal

Blackfeet Indians used an infusion from this plant to treat diarrhea and gastric upset and urinary irritations. The root of this plant is astringent and was dried and powdered and used by Native Americans to stop external bleeding. An infusion of the leaves has also been used to treat colds and sore throats. The leaves and roots have been made into a poultice and used to treat sore eyes via an infusion.

Cultivation

''Geranium viscosissimum'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

by specialty

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry, or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general ...

, for use in

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...

and

wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or habitat garden or backyard restoration) is an Biophysical environment, environment created with the purpose to serve as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater t ...

s. The plant attracts butterflies. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network−NPIN: ''Geranium viscosissimum'' (Sticky purple geranium, Sticky wild geranium)
— ''horticulture info''.

References

External links

Calflora Database: Geranium viscosissimum'' (Sticky purple geranium)

UC CalPhotos gallery for ''Geranium viscosissimum''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5549882 viscosissimum Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of Western Canada Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of New Mexico Flora of South Dakota Flora of Utah Plants used in traditional Native American medicine