Spotted Cranesbill, Spotted geranium, Crowfoot, Wild Geranium, Cranesbill
Geranium maculatum
Family: Geraniaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Pink. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Geranium maculatum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Wet places in woods, wet rocks and in swamps. Woodlands, thickets and meadows.
Eastern N. America - Maine to Georgia, west to Arkansas, Kansas and Manitoba.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 3
The whole plant, but especially the root, is antiseptic, highly astringent, diuretic, styptic and tonic. An infusion of the whole plant, or of the roots alone, is used in the treatment of diarrhoea (especially in children and the elderly), dysentery, irritable bowel syndrome, cholera, kidney complaints, bleeding and a wide range of other ailments. It is often used in combination with other herbs. Externally, it is applied to purulent wounds, haemorrhoids, thrush, vaginal discharges and inflammations of the mouth. The plants are rich in tannin, the root containing 10 - 20%. The roots can be harvested in the autumn then dried and stored. It is best to harvest the roots as the plant comes into flower since it is then at its most active medicinally. The leaves are harvested as the plant comes into flower and are dried for later use.
Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Cholera: Used in the treatment of cholera - an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Kidney: Used in the treatment of kidney diseases
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Styptic: An astringent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 2
A brown dye is obtained from the flowers. The roots and the leaves are rich in tannin. Plants are suitable for ground cover when spaced about 45cm apart each way.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Massing, Woodland garden. Succeeds in any moderately fertile retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates a wide range of soil types, including water-logged soils. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. Special Features: Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Fragrant flowers, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Ground Cover; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-10
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist, wet