(Geranium maculatum)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
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 ⅓″ to ½″ wide. The flower petals are notched at the tip. Carolina cranesbill (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 ⅓″ 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 |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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4/19/2024 | ||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Common |
Taxonomy |
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Kingdom |
Plantae (green algae and land plants) |
Subkingdom |
Viridiplantae (green plants) |
Infrakingdom |
Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) |
Superdivision |
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Division |
Tracheophyta (vascular plants) |
Subdivision |
Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants) |
Class |
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Superorder |
Rosanae |
Order |
Geraniales (geraniums, bridal wreaths, and allies) |
Family |
Geraniaceae (geranium) |
Genus |
Geranium (geraniums and cranesbills) |
Subgenus |
Geranium |
Section |
Geranium |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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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.
Visitor Photos |
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Wayne Rasmussen |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Habitat |
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Inflorescence |
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Inflorescence |
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Flower |
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Flower |
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Early spring |
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Early spring |
Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
MyNature Apps; Identifying Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum |
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) |
About
Published on Apr 28, 2012 wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) in sprouting to blooming stage |
Wild Geranium |
About
Published on Jan 27, 2013 No description available. |
Visitor Sightings |
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Greg Watson 5/27/2022 |
Location: Eagles Bluff Park in La Crescent, MN |
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Wayne Rasmussen 5/20/2018 |
Location: Maplewood Nature Center |
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Wayne Rasmussen 5/30/2016 |
Location: Maplewood Nature Center |
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Wayne Rasmussen 5/31/2016 |
Location: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park |
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Crystal Boyd 6/2/2013 |
Location: Pine Bend Bluffs SNA |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit Beaver Creek Valley State Park Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Charles A. Lindbergh State Park Clifton E. French Regional Park Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Sanctuary John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA Lake Alexander Woods SNA, South Unit Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA Minnesota Valley NWR, Black Dog Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Long Meadow Lake Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit Nerstrand Big Woods State Park P.N. and G.M. Nelson Wildlife Sanctuary |
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