Flower profile

Richardson's geranium

Geranium richardsonii

Native in the lower 48

Richardson's geranium is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

12states

6of our state lists

8,449U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

Quick look

Geranium richardsonii is a species of geranium known by the common name Richardson's geranium. It is native to western North America from Alaska to New Mexico, where it can be found in a number of habitats, especially mountains and forests. This is a perennial herb varying in maximum height from 20 to 80 centimeters. The plant grows from a tough, woody taproot and older plants develop rhizomes.
From Wikipedia's article Geranium richardsonii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Geraniaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
In New Mexico, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 2,934 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #51 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,263 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #32 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 848 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #70 among the 109 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist

Richardson's geranium gift ideas

Handmade richardson's geranium 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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Richardson's geranium art print
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Richardson's geranium greeting card
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Richardson's geranium mug
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Richardson's geranium earrings
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Richardson's geranium embroidery pattern
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Richardson's geranium sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,182 records)

Bloom time in each of our 6 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	June–August	2,934
New Mexico	Native	June–September	1,263
Utah	Native	June–September	848
Wyoming	Native	June–August	679
Montana	Native	June–September	588
South Dakota	Native	June–August	304

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
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 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 richardson's geranium in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Archuleta, Boulder, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, El Paso, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Park, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Teller.

New Mexico counties with USDA records: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Colfax, Los Alamos, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Valencia.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

More Colorado flowers

Redstem stork's-bill

Erodium cicutarium

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CO: March–June

Sticky geranium

Geranium viscosissimum

Native

🌼 Blooms: May–September

Pinewoods geranium

Geranium caespitosum

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GERI.
iNaturalist, Geranium richardsonii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Geranium richardsonii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Geranium richardsonii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Rusty via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.