| Description | Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) is an easy to grow, common, woodland wildflower. |
|---|---|
| Plant Type | All Plants, Wild Flowers |
| Sunlight | shaded to semi-shaded |
| Moisture | average to damp, avoid dry |
| Soil & Site | humus rich, woodsy, wide pH range of 4.5 - 7.0 |
| Flowers | Hues and shades of rosy-purple, 1-2" across, five petals with visible veins, bore on an inflorescence. Visible veins help guide insects. Pollen is a bright blue, very different from normal yellow/orange. Flowers bloom starting in mid to the end of May for around 3 weeks. |
| Fruit | Seeds are catapulted into the air when the seed pods are ripe. Have a tail called an awn which curls when dry and twists when wet. May help to screw the seed into the soil. A distinctive beaked seed capsules, hence the common name of crane’s bill (geranium in Greek means crane) |
| Leaves | simple, deeply divided into 5-7 elongated lobes, palmately veined, mottled with brown hence the name "spotted" |
| Roots | rootstock compact and stout |
| Dimensions | 1-2 feet tall |
| Propagation | seeds, division of root stock |
| Misc Facts | A native plant that occurs as single plants or patches in open woods to shaded areas. The species name maculata means mottled. |
| Author's Notes | I always enjoy seeing this plant blooming in the woods during the spring. The flowers are like a domesticated plant in the woods. |
| Notes & Reference | #13-Growing Woodland Plants (Birdseye), #14-Hedge maids and Fairy Candles (Jack Sanders), #29-Hardy Geraniums (Peter F. Yeo), #41-Wildflowers of Wisconsin (Stan Tekiela), #231- The Gardeners Guide to Growing Hardy Geraniums (Trevor Bath, Joy Jones) |
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