Meadow Cranesbill is a perennial wildflower and has pretty, frondy leaves and wide-open, cup-shaped purple flowers from June to September. The veins on the petals guide bees to the nectar. It grows to about 2 ft (60 cm). Name comes from the Greek “geranus” meaning crane – due to the cranesbill-shaped seedheads. In autumn, the leaves turn red. Plant this wildflower in a sunny spot and you may get two flushes of flowers a year. It also spreads so is good for covering a big bare area! This wildflower is one of our rare ones in the wild but, where found, it will be rough grassland.
What Wildlife Benefits from Meadow Cranesbill?
Meadow Cranesbill is the food plant of the Northern Brown Argus butterfly, and bees love it too!
Medicinal Uses of Meadow Cranesbill
In traditional folk medicine, fresh leaves were used to stop bleeding if pressed against a wound. Hundreds of years ago, the flowers were used in Iceland to make a blueish-grey dye. ALWAYS consult a qualified herbalist before using any wild plants as medicine.
