Specimen record
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Description
A common late-spring wildflower of open woods and shaded roadsides, wild geranium produces loose clusters of pale lavender-pink, five-petaled flowers. After pollination, the fruit develops into a distinctive 'crane's bill' seed capsule that splits open elastically, flinging seeds several meters away. The deeply palmately lobed leaves turn reddish in autumn.
Identification tips
- 1Five lavender-pink petals with darker veining, each 1.5–2 cm long
- 2Deeply palmately lobed leaves with 5 pointed segments
- 3Hairy stems and leaf stalks
- 4Distinctive elongated beak-shaped seed capsule (the 'crane's bill')
- 5Grows in partial shade along woodland edges and paths
Specimen & preservation notes
Collect flowering stems with both flowers and developing seed capsules if possible. Press flowers face-down. Include a basal leaf to show the full leaf shape. The 'crane's bill' fruit is an excellent feature — collect mature fruits that have not yet split.
Habitats
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
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| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 |
Collection notes
Season check
Guide window matches observed bloom.
Flowering records: 741 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 913 observations within 25 km