Wild geranium is native to northeastern North America. They prefer damp but well-drained
soils, appearing in forests and also in full sun if there is ample moisture.
Plants: Plants are 1-2½′ (30-76 cm) in size, usually unbranched.
They are quite often found in dense colonies.
Leaves: There are two levels of leaves. A loose cluster of basal
leaves, more or less obscured by foliage above, and opposite pairs of leaves on the lower part of
each stem. Leaves are hairy and palmate: deeply divided into three or
five sections, each of which are once again divided. Each division is toothed.
Their overall size is 4-5″ (10-12 cm), on a long hairy petiole (stem) up to 12″ (30 cm).
Flowers: Flowers are attractive, pale to deep pink, lilac, or
rarely white, ⅞-1½″ (2.5-4 cm) in
diameter, with 5 petals and 10 yellow-tipped stamens. They appear in loose corymbs or umbels of 2-5, flowering from April to May.
Fruits: Each fruit is a capsule with five cells, each containing a
seed joined to a long beak-like column ¾-1″ (2-3 cm). The common name cranesbill derives from
the seed’s resemblance to a crane’s bill. As the capsule matures, it dries out, finally snapping open to
fling seeds.