Shiny Geranium

Geranium lucidum

Plant Description

Low-growing delicate-looking annual with shiny rounded lobed leaves borne on delicate red stems. Tiny 5-petaled pink flowers bloom in spring and autumn. There may be several flushes of shiny geranium germinating in a single year. It is incredibly aggressive in part-shade, along roadsides, and in disturbed areas.

Plant Details

Life Forms	Forb
Habitats	Abandoned fields Bottomland forests Disturbed sites Forest edges Forest openings Forest understories Gardens Little Habitats Mixed hardwood-conifer forests Orchards Parklands Residential yards Riparian forests Roadsides Trailsides Woodlands
ODA Listing	B
Soil and Moisture Conditions	Dry to moist
Suggested Actions	Use BMPs to control on private property
Shade Preference	Full shade Full sun Part shade
Mature Height	18"
Distribution	Western Oregon, Washington, and California and expanding. Common throughout the Willamette Valley.
Control	Prevent spreading shiny geranium by cleaning shoes and avoiding walking through infestations. It doesn't have much of a root system, so it's easy to pull by hand. Hand-pull small infestations before they set seed. Mulch with a thick layer of wood chips to prevent germination of seeds. Flame weeding is also effective. It may have several flushes in a single year so it should be controlled every few weeks in spring-to-early-summer and autumn-to-winter to prevent seed set. Mowing is not effective and can spread seeds.
Disposal Methods	If shiny geranium hasn't produced flowers yet, you can pull it and place it in a dark compost pile or under a tarp to allow it to dry out. If it has produced flowers, geranium should be bagged and disposed of in the municipal waste to prevent spreading seeds.
Reproduction and Spread	Shiny geranium produces large quantities of tiny seeds which can cling to shoes and be spread to new areas. The only effective way to control it is to prevent seed set.
Introduced	Eurasia and north Africa
Look Alikes	Doves-foot geranium Herb Robert Redstem filaree Rose checkermallow
Impact	Incredibly aggressive in woodlands and disturbed areas, it can form dense monocultures that prevent the establishment of other plants. It has little food value for native plants and insects.
More Info	https://solvepestproblems.oregonstate.edu/weeds/shiny-geranium https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/services/environment/animals-and-plants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/shiny-geranium