How do you recognise Dusky cranesbill (Geranium phaeum)?

Leaf

Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dusky cranesbill

Geranium phaeum L.

Also known as: Mourning widow

Family: Geraniaceae

30 to 60 cm tall

Woodland, shady gardens, cool soils

Flowering: May – June

Part shade

Shade

Hardy to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its very dark brown-purple flowers, almost black, are unique among perennial garden geraniums. Before flowering, the broadly lobed, toothed leaves look very similar in the two species, in woodland as in the garden. The flower tells them apart at once: dark brown-purple with petals reflexed backwards in dusky cranesbill, against blue-violet with a white centre in wood cranesbill.

🍃 Leaves

Broad, cut into toothed lobes, sometimes blotched with brown

🌸 Flowers

Small dark brown-purple flowers with reflexed petals

🍎 Fruits

Fruits with an elongated beak

🪵 Bark

Upright clump, hairy stems

🗺️ Distribution

Mountains of central and southern Europe; naturalised and cultivated in lowland gardens in France.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Inconspicuous brown-purple flowers visited by wild bees and small insects.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Shady borders, open woodland, edgings; easy, hardy ground cover.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Dusky cranesbill

Geranium phaeum

Wood cranesbill

Geranium sylvaticum

Before flowering, the broadly lobed, toothed leaves look very similar in the two species, in woodland as in the garden. The flower tells them apart at once: dark brown-purple with petals reflexed backwards in dusky cranesbill, against blue-violet with a white centre in wood cranesbill.

🌿 Other Geraniaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.