Wild Geranium, Spotted Geranium, Geranium maculatum L., Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Wild Geranium	Geranium maculatum L.	Geranium (Geraniaceae)	Woodland	Spring to Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Spotted Geranium, Crane's-bill) An erect perennial of the open woods, it reaches up to 2 feet in height. The large palmately-divided leaves have 5 to 7 lobes and are irregularly cleft and have long stalks. There is also one pair of stem leaves on short stalks. The flower color will vary from a rose-purple when growing in full shade to almost white (usually when exposed to much sun). Flowers are 5-part, 1 to 1 1/2" wide and appear on stalked clusters above the leaves. Petals have a deeper color veining. An erect bird beak-like seed capsule develops in July. The capsule has five cells, each containing one seed. Found throughout the Woodland Garden, usually in large swaths. It grows from rhizomes. Mature rhizomes are 2 to 4 inches long with branching for new growth. See Eloise Butler's notes below.


Above and Below: Flowers of late May to early June.	Below: The seed head of the Wild Geranium in mid July

Below: 2012 was an early season - these Wild Geraniums are blooming in early May and have attracted an Eastern Swallowtail.

Notes: This plant is indigenous to the Garden area. Eloise Butler catalogued it on May 25, 1907. It is native to the woods of Minnesota, particularly the counties of the east half and central parts of the state. In North America it is found from the mid-continent eastward, except Florida.

Eloise Butler wrote: "Few are unable to name the Wild Geranium when they observe the form of the leaf, the flower cluster, and the flower. This geranium enlivens large expanses of woodlands with its purplish flowers. The significance of another name - cranesbill - is seen when the blossom goes to seed, forming a birdlike beak, from the base of which uncurl fine little seed-like fruits." Published June 4, 1911, Sunday Minneapolis Tribune

Medicinal uses: The root of the plant contain tannic and gallic acid and was used in dried and powdered form as an astringent and styptic. When dried the white internal parts of the root turn purple, have a strong astringent taste without odor. Densmore (Ref. 5) in her study of the Minnesota Chippewa reports usage of the dried and powdered root for treating mouth sores, especially effective for children. Hutchins (Ref. #12) reports many other uses.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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