Shiny Geranium

• This plant is also on the Washington State quarantine list.
• It is prohibited to transport, buy, sell, offer for sale, or distribute plants or plant parts of quarantined species into or within the state of Washington or to sell, offer for sale, or distribute seed packets of seed, flower seed blends, or wildflower mixes of quarantined species into or within the state of Washington.
• It is difficult to control as the seeds can germinate when conditions are favorable in a variety of habitats.

• Small, annual or biennial herbaceous plant with basal, lobed, shiny leaves and often times reddish stems with small pink to magenta flowers.
• It has pink, 5 petal flowers.
• Each flower has 5 hairless sepals that are somewhat expanded, having longitudinal ridges and small latitudinal wrinkles and bristles tips.
• Leaves are rounded to kidney-shaped and divided into lobed sections that each have their own 3 lobes at the tip.
• Leaf blades are 0.4 to 1.6 inches (1 to 4 cm) wide.
• Leaf stems (petioles) have hairs on one side.
• Stem are typically upright to spreading and upright and often have a bright reddish tinge. They may reach a height of around 18 inches.
• Seeds are small (2mm) and oval, hairless and reddish with a black projection.

• Shiny geranium grows in well-shaded woodlands and forest openings as well as in full to partial sun.
• It can successfully grow along with herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

• Shiny geranium reproduces by seed and has the capability to forcefully eject seeds when ripe.

• Shiny geranium populations can be difficult to control as seeds may germinate whenever conditions are favorable, typically from early spring to fall.
• Monitoring and repeated control will be needed for multiple years, until the seeds are drained from the soil.
• Remember to clean off shoes, tools, and vehicles before leaving an infestation, as seeds are known to hitchhike to new locations.
• Individual plants and small infestations can easily be controlled by carefully hand-pulling, bagging, and putting in the trash.
• Make sure to remove its fibrous roots to prevent resprouting.
• Larger populations can be covered with sheet mulch – ideally overlapping pieces of cardboard covered with a thick layer of woodchips.
• Make sure to repeatedly monitor and control seedlings before they set seed.

Glufosinate, glyphosate, imazapic, imazapyr, metsulfuron, sulfometuron, and triclopyr + 2,4-D gave promising results in initial trials.