Shining Geranium (Geranium lucidum)

Gallery:

Shining geranium leaves and flowers

Shining geranium red stems

Shining geranium infestation

Common names:

Shining geranium, shiny geranium, shiny leaf geranium, shining crane’s bill

Scientific Name:

Geranium lucidum

Description:

Shining geranium is an annual herbaceous plant in the Geraniaceae (geranium) family. It can spread rapidly and quickly cover the ground of oak woodlands and forest openings. The pink flowers grow in pairs and have 5 separate petals with longitudinal ridges. The leaves are sparsely hairy and shiny, with 5 – 7 lobes that are again lobed. The stems have a reddish tint and grow from a weak central root. It spreads by seeds, which are forcefully ejected, and are small, abundant, and easily spread by boots, vehicles, and animals.

Life cycle:

Annual

Height of mature plants

Up to 19 inches

Flower color:

pink

Bloom time:

April to July

Look-a-likes:

Shining geranium looks quite similar to the common weed called dovefoot geranium. Dovefoot geranium’s stem are green and the leaves are not shiny. Shining geranium often grows with Robert’s geranium, which has finely divided leaves and is stinky.

Habitat:

Shining geranium can grow in a variety of light conditions. It grows well as an understory species in oak woodlands, forest openings and edges, well-shaded woodlands, grasslands, and roadsides.

Impacts:

Shining geranium emerges earlier than most native plants, and can quickly dominate the ground, preventing native plants from establishing. It can also produce multiple generations in a year, which makes control extremely difficult; after it is killed or removed, another generation of plants will quickly grow back to replace it.