
| Also known as: | Spotted Geranium, Spotted Cranebill, Wild Cranebill Alumroot |
|---|---|
| Genus: | Geranium |
| Family: | Geraniaceae (Geranium) |
| Life cycle: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Habitat: | part shade, shade; woods |
| Bloom season: | May - June |
| Plant height: | 1 to 2 feet |
| USDA PLANTS database: | Minnesota county distribution map |
| Spotted in Ramsey County at: |
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Flowers are 1 to 1½ inches across, 5 rounded pink to lavender petals and 10 stamens with yellow or light brown tips. The petals are streaked with darker lines along the length, and may fade to white at the center of the flower. From 1 to several flowers branch off the top of the main stem.
Leaves surrounding the base of the plant are 3 to 6 inches across and deeply divided into 3 or 5 lobes, which may be further divided and coarsely toothed, on long leaf stems. There are a few smaller leaves at the top of the plant near the flowers that have no leaf stem. Leaves and the main stem are both hairy.
Fruit is a long slender capsule to 1½ inches long with 5 cells, each containing 1 seed. The color changes from green to deep brown as the seeds ripen.
As the seed matures, the leafy part of the cells curl back and fling the seeds out away from the mother plant.
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Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN and Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, Coon Rapids, MN May-June 2007
Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?
My Son and I went for a walk on old government road and saw these flowers in the ditch.
Wild geranium was spotted during my turkey hunting in mid-May in the Fillmore County farm land in Preston.
i see them all the time in may
Found Growing in old woods with some sun. A Spectacular wildflower. This belongs in everyone's garden.
DH always called all these lovely lavender colored wildflowers, 'laurel' ~~but actually learned from your site that they're are actually 2 different types ~the other is the virginia or eastern waterleaf. We enjoy them every spring behind our home. So now I know what they're REALLY called~~lol
on: 2010-05-20 18:55:54
It is easy to see this plant (blooming now) at the Minnehaha Dog Park. One specific place is the clearing under the power lines near the bottom of the old RR tie stairs. This plant is growing in both very sunny and quite shady locations.