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Common Name: Wood Cranesbill

General Information

Geranium sylvaticum is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe, including Britain from the Arctic to Spain east to the Caucasus and Siberia.

Habitat

Meadows, hedgebanks, damp woods and mountain rock ledges[].

Properties

Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile retentive soil in sun or shade[].Tolerant of a wide range of soil types and of shade[].
Plants can be naturalized in meadows[].
A very cold-tolerant species. tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].
Often self sows freely[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A blue dye is obtained from the flowers[, ]. It is violet[]. Fugitive[].
A useful and dense ground cover plant, succeeding in deep shade[]. It needs weeding for the first year or so[]. Plants should be spaced about 60cm apart each way[].

Propagation

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.