wild geranium

(Geranium maculatum)

Conservation Status
wild geranium
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Wild geranium is a 12 to 28 tall, erect, perennial forb that produces multiple flowering stems from a stout rhizome.

The stems are green and up to 24 tall. The stems, basal leaf stalks, stem leaf stalks, and flower stalks all have coarse, white, non-glandular (not sticky) hairs.

A few basal leaves rise from the underground rhizome on long, up to 12, leaf stalks. They are palmately divided into 5 to 7 irregular, deep, wedge-shaped lobes. The lobes are not toothed, notched, or divided in the basal half, but are coarsely toothed and often have secondary lobes in the upper half. The upper surface of the leaves has fine white hairs. Older leaves sometimes have white spots, which gives this plant one of its common names, Spotted Geranium.

There is only a single pair of leaves on the stem. They are opposite and similar in appearance and features to the basal leaves, but are smaller and usually have only 3 lobes. They are on short leaf stalks.

The inflorescence is a flat or round topped cluster of 1 to 6 flowers at the end of a long stalk.

The flowers are 1 to 1½ wide with 5 petals and 5 green sepals.

The petals are rose-purple, pale purple, violet-purple or, rarely, white, with darker fine lines radiating from the center of the flower and acting as nectar guides.

The fruit is a 1 to 1½ long, erect capsule in the shape of a crane’s bill, giving this plant another of its common names, Wild Crane’s-bill.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

12 to 28

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Rose-purple, pale purple, violet-purple, or rarely white

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Bicknell’s Cranesbill (Geranium bicknellii) has leafy stems and no basal leaves. The inflorescence is a 2-flowered cluster. The flowers are only to ½ wide. The flower petals are notched at the tip.

Carolina geranium (Geranium carolinianum var. carolinianum) has leafy stems and no basal leaves. The leaves are divided into usually 5 to 9 deeply-cut lobes. The leaf margins have widely spaced, deeply-cut teeth, that may amount to secondary lobes. The inflorescence is a tight cluster of many flowers. The flowers are on short flower stalks that are less than half as long as the sepals. The flowers are dull white to light pink and only wide.

Meadow geranium (Geranium pratense), an introduced species, has glandular, sticky hairs on the flowering stalks and leaf stalks. The leaves are more finely cut. The petals are not marked with darker lines. It has been recorded only in St. Louis County.

Robert’s geranium (Geranium robertianum) has leafy stems and no basal leaves. The leaves are divided into usually 3 to 5 leaflets that are cut all the way to the base, with at least the terminal leaflet on an evident leaflet stalk. The leaflets are fern-like. The inflorescence is a 2-flowered cluster from the upper leaf axils. It has been recorded only in St. Louis County.

Siberian cranesbill (Geranium sibiricum) has leafy stems and no basal leaves. The flowers occur singly or in pairs. It has been recorded only in Houston and Goodhue Counties.

When not in flower wild geranium can be easily mistaken for Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense).

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moderate moisture. Woods. Full to partial sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

April to June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  6/13/2022      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Geraniales (geraniums, bridal wreaths, and allies)  
 

Family

Geraniaceae (geranium)  
 

Genus

Geranium (geraniums and cranesbills)  
  Subgenus Geranium  
  Section Geranium  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

alumroot

spotted crane’s-bill

spotted geranium

wild crane’s-bill

wild geranium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Palmately divided

Similar to a hand. Having more than three lobes that radiate from a single point at the base of the leaf.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

 
 
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Greg Watson

 
    wild geranium      
 

Wayne Rasmussen

 
    wild geranium   wild geranium  
           
    wild geranium   wild geranium  
 

Crystal Boyd

 
    wild geranium      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Habitat

 
    wild geranium      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    wild geranium   wild geranium  
           
    wild geranium      
           
 

Flower

 
    wild geranium   wild geranium  
           
    wild geranium      
           
 

Early spring

 
    wild geranium   wild geranium  
           
    wild geranium      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Wild Geranium (Geranium manculatum)
Andree Reno Sanborn
  Wild Geranium (Geranium manculatum)  

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  MyNature Apps; Identifying Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum
MyNatureApps
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on May 31, 2011

How to identify Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum also known as Spotted Geranium, Wood Geranium, Spotted Cranesbill or Wild Cranesbill. www.mynatureapps.com

   
  wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
wvoutdoorman
 
   
 
About

Published on Apr 28, 2012

wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) in sprouting to blooming stage

   
  Wild Geranium
ThePlantVideos
 
   
 
About

Published on Jan 27, 2013

No description available.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Greg Watson
5/27/2022

Location: Eagles Bluff Park in La Crescent, MN

wild geranium  
  Wayne Rasmussen
5/20/2018

Location: Maplewood Nature Center

wild geranium  
  Wayne Rasmussen
5/30/2016

Location: Maplewood Nature Center

wild geranium  
  Wayne Rasmussen
5/31/2016

Location: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

wild geranium  
  Crystal Boyd
6/2/2013

Location: Pine Bend Bluffs SNA

wild geranium  
           
 
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