Geranium maculatum (Wild geranium)

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Geranium maculatum L.

Wild geranium, spotted geranium, wood geranium

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Geraniales	Balsams, mustards, geraniums, wood sorrels, nasturtiums, others
Family	Geraniaceae	Geranium or cranesbill family
Genus	Geranium	From the Greek γέρανος, géranos (or γερανός, geranós), “crane,” because some of the fruits resemble a crane’s bill
Species	maculatum	Latin for "spotted, blotched" (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)

About plant names...

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.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

Ozarkedgewildflowers.com

Wikipedia

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Minnesota Wildflowers

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 124

5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

5/28/2015 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

6/1/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

5/28/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Wildflower Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm)

Geranium maculatum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 19 Aug 2023.

5/21/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)

8/1/2009 · Gordon & Kathy’s, Prospect, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (50 × 33 cm) ID is uncertain

5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook C, Hollis, New Hampshire

4/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

5/28/2015 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm)

6/3/2014 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)

7/20/2004 · Ninilchik, Alaska · By Constance B. Kent

5/28/2015 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

Range:

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