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Geranium maculatum (Wild or Spotted Geranium)

Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium) emerging leaves in March
Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium) clump in March.
Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium) buds and flower showingthe undersides of the lilac petals and green sepals and hairs in April
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) flower in male phase (5 outer stamens mature first; stigmas are not open) and developing fruit in May.
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) with Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) in Simpson's Shade Garden in May 2020.
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) developing long-beaked schizocarp with five one-seeded mericarps in the calyx in June.
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) mature schizocarp with separated mericarps coiled upward on awns.
Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium) leaves in October.

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Geranium maculatum Tried and True Native Plant Selections Wild or Spotted Geranium for the Mid-Atlantic Native in much of eastern North America,* this lovely, adaptable wildflower’s alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive fruit, which resembles the bill of a crane. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored Wild Geranium as Wildflower of the Year in 2020. Perennial Flowers, Buds, Fruit, En Masse Height: 11⁄2–2 feet Spread: 1–11⁄2 feet Bloom Color: Light pink, dark pink, lilac Characteristics Clump-forming, semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial Opposite, palmately-cleft and coarsely-toothed, medium to dark green leaves Gynodioecious, 5-petaled, mostly protandrous** flowers in terminal corymbs on upright stems Mar–July Explosive, beak-like fruit (schizocarp) Spreads by rhizomes but not aggressively Attributes Tolerates clay soil, poor soil, dry soil, drought, poor drainage, and rabbits; no serious pests or diseases; deer occasionally severely damage Ethnobotanic, therapeutic, and herbal uses Attracts bees, syrphid flies, and butterflies to flowers and mourning doves, quail, and deer to seeds; larval host to ~27 lepidopterans Growing and Maintenance Tips Soil Requirements: Well-drained, average Excellent Replacement for Alliaria petiolata - Garlic Mustard Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Ficaria verna - Lesser Celandine Water Requirements: Moist If sited in full sun, needs more moisture Vinca Minor - Periwinkle *It is native in DC and common in the DE Piedmont, but uncommon in its Coastal Plain. It occurs mostly in the Piedmont and mountains of MD. It is present throughout PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and Piedmont but rare in the Coastal Plain. ** The second picture illustrates protandry (male parts mature before the female), which helps prevent self-pollination. The flower to the left is in the male phase: anthers are producing pollen and stigmas are absent. The flower entering the female phase shows withering anthers and five emerging stigmas. Foliage yellows or declines in heat and dry soil Use under trees (especially white oak) and in woodland gardens Hardiness: USDA Zones 3a–b developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Mary Free, Quarry Shade Garden and Simpson Gardens and by Elaine Mills (bottom right), U.S. National Arboretum

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Geranium maculatum (Wild or Spotted Geranium)

Native in much of eastern North America,* this lovely, adaptable wildflower’s alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive fruit, which resembles the bill of a crane. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored Wild Geranium as Wildflower of the Year in 2020.

*It is native in DC and common in the DE Piedmont, but uncommon in its Coastal Plain. It occurs mostly in the Piedmont and mountains of MD. It is present throughout PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and Piedmont but rare in the Coastal Plain. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets