Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) Identification & Use

Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum, is a lovely Eastern North American native plant. It works well in woodland gardens or as groundcover, nurturing pollinators and other wildlife. It also has a long history of medicinal use. We’ll share how to identify, grow, and use this woodland beauty.

Range and Identification of Wild Geranium

Wild geranium is native to eastern North America, growing from zones 3 to 8. Its range reaches all the way from Manitoba and Quebec to Alabama and west to Oklahoma and South Dakota. While typically found in dry, shady, deciduous woodlands and meadows, it also grows in full sun.

The plant is a perennial in the geranium family (Geraniaceae), growing to 1 to 2 feet tall. The deeply lobed palmate leaves form clumps of vegetation, covering forest floors. The stem leaves attach in pairs, and are up to 5 inches long. Coarse hairs cover the undersides of leaves, giving them a fuzzy appearance.

The wild geranium blooms from spring into summer, with bloom time varying by location. Depending on your area, blooms emerge between March and July. Blooms last around a month, but may last longer in cooler weather.

Flowers are 1-2″ across and 2-3 stem leaves (flower growing leaves) per plant. Each plant has 2 to 10 flowers, with five petals per flower. The pink or lavender blossoms have lines running the length of the petals, and 10 bright yellow stamens surround the single center pistil.

Before opening, the seed capsule resembles the bill of a crane, thus the name “Crane’s bill geranium”. The seed capsules split into 5 long and curled “peals” to release seeds, firing them 10 to 30 feet away from the parent plant.

Cultivation

You can propagate Geranium maculatum from seeds, potted plants, or bare-root plants. The plants die back to their rhizomes each year. Transplanting mature plants after the plant goes dormant for the year will minimize transplant shock.

Plant in full sun to partial shade, preferably in sandy loam. When planting in full sun, make sure the soil is rich and stays consistently damp. (Ramial wood mulch is a good option.) Space plants about 1 foot apart.

Plant young plants in early spring to give them plenty of time to get established. The seeds require stratification to germinate, so fall sowing works well. Young plants typically bloom their second or third year, and the leaves turn red and orange in fall.

Deadheading doesn’t produce more blossoms, but you can trim back plants if needed for a neater appearance. The plants will spread over time, but are not aggressive growers. Mix them with summer and fall blooming natives to provide food for pollinators all season long.

Wildlife Uses

Many different pollinators, including solitary bees, bumblebees, and several species of butterflies feed on the nectar and pollen. Birds such as mourning doves and bobwhite quail eat the seeds. Though the foliage is somewhat deer resistant, white-tailed deer eat the flowers of wild geranium.

Medicinal Use of Wild Geranium

The book, “Edible & Medicinal Plant of the Midwest” sings the praises of wild geranium. It has a long history of herbal use for its astringent, styptic, and antimicrobial properties.

The United States Dispensatory of 1926 noted, “Geranium is one of our best indigenous astringents.” The major constituents of Geranium maculatum include tannin, gallic acid (after drying, from breakdown of the tannin), pectin, calcium oxide, gum, and resin.

Native American peoples used the plant for treatment of:

• diarrhea
• hemorroids
• canker sores
• trench mouth
• infected teeth and gums
• bleeding wounds
• menorrhagia
• oral thrush
• mastitis

Other herbalists have employed it for:

• gastric ulcers
• duodenal ulcers
• herpes simplex infections
• influenza
• tonsilitis
• diverticulitis
• irritable bowel syndrome
• and more

The plant is commonly used internally as a strong decoction or tincture. To make the tincture, combine the dried plant at a 1:5 ratio with 50 percent alcohol and 10 percent glycerin. Dose at 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, as needed. See “Real Healing Potions” for more information on decoctions and tinctures.

For use as a styptic, the dried root is powdered or poulticed and applied to the wound. The root poultice is also used for teeth and gums. Geranium maculatum extracts are used in the cosmetic industry to promote dermal cell renewal.

Always exercise caution when using any wild plants, and make sure you have positively identified the plant. See your healthcare provider for serious disease or illness.

Contraindications

For short term internal use only, due to the high amount of tannins. Traditionally, some tribes used the plant as a contraceptive. Do not use it internally during pregnancy or when intending to conceive.

Other Common Names

Other common names for Wild Geranium include: Spotted Geranium, Wood Geranium, Alum Root, Alum Bloom, Old Maid’s Nightcap, Spotted Cranesbill, Wild Cranesbill and Crane’s-bill Geranium.

Note:  This native plant is not closely related to commercial geraniums, Pelargonium hortorum. Both are in the Geranium family, but most commercial geraniums are native to southern Africa.

More Information about Wild Plants

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. This post is #22 in the Weekly Weeder series, where share how to use common wild plants. You can view the entire series on the Herbs and Wildcrafting page.

Articles include:

• My Favorite Wildcrafting Resources
• Queen Anne’s Lace – Butterfly Host Plant and Blueberry Protector
• Grandma Called it Medicine Leaf

This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie was raised on a small dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin, where she gathered wildflowers from the woods and pastures. She and her family now live in northeast Wisconsin, where they combine intentional plantings and semi-wild areas. Every season is a new opportunity to learn more about working with wild plants.

Originally posted in 2012, last updated in 2024.