Wood cranesbill or Meadow cranesbill: how to tell them apart?
Wood cranesbill and Meadow cranesbill look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Wood cranesbill
Geranium sylvaticum
Meadow cranesbill
Geranium pratense
Wood cranesbill is smaller, with pale blue-violet flowers and slender, drooping stems, whereas meadow cranesbill has larger flowers in a stronger blue-violet, borne on upright stems in a clump.
🍃 Leaves
Deeply cut into toothed lobes, bright green
Deeply cut into 7 toothed lobes, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Violet-blue flowers with a white centre, veined
Large blue-violet flowers with prominent veins
🍎 Fruits
Fruits with an elongated beak
Elongated beaked fruits characteristic of the genus
🪵 Bark
Upright clump, hairy stems
Upright clump, hairy stems
📏 Size
30 to 60 cm tall
30 to 80 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Open woodland, gardens, cool meadows
Meadows, gardens, banks, cool, rich soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity.
No known toxicity.
🔎 And from the Meadow cranesbill side
Wood cranesbill is smaller, with pale blue-violet flowers and slender, drooping stems, whereas meadow cranesbill has larger flowers in a stronger blue-violet, borne on upright stems in a clump.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.