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Cranesbill is a plant that is very popular on balconies, terraces and gardens at home. Because there are many richly flowering species. This also raises the question of whether the cranesbill is poisonous.
In a nutshell
- Cranesbill (geranium) is often better known as geranium
- many different varieties and types
- just as popular as balcony flowers as in the garden bed
- usually non-toxic
- contains essential oils that can cause skin irritation
Essential Oils
The plants of the different types of geraniums contain many essential oils, which also give off the strong smell, especially when the leaves are touched. However, this smell is very unpleasant for many people, so that the plants are reluctant to be touched:
- geraniol
- caffeic acid
- fighter oil
- quercetin
- routine
Tip: Due to the many essential oils, the cranesbill is used externally for bruises and toothache, for example.
Dangerous for children & pets?
Because cranesbill species are generally non-toxic, children or pets are not at risk of being poisoned. The plants usually avoid these because of the unpleasant smell. However, due to the essential oils, skin irritation can occasionally occur in very sensitive people, regardless of whether they are adults or children and adolescents:
- so-called contact dermatitis
- mild allergic reaction
- slight itching in affected area
- slight reddening of the skin
- Cream against insect bites helps
- usually contains antihistamines
Notice: The plants from the geranium family are valued as plants in many schools and kindergartens precisely because of their non-toxic nature and are even recommended by the country's chambers of agriculture as unproblematic.
Toxic strain
There is a poisonous variety among the geranium family, this is a wild plant that is not usually found in home gardens and on balconies:
meadow cranesbill; Source: Tree in the park, meadow cranesbill.Teck nature reserve.Germany.BadenWürttemberg.Esslingen district, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Meadow Cranesbill
- only poisonous for field hamsters
- However, animals generally avoid the plant
- has a very strong smell
- is therefore eaten very reluctantly
frequently asked Questions
Is it dangerous if my children touch the geraniums?No, usually nothing happens in such a case. Above all, the intense and for many people unpleasant smell when touching prevents the little ones from continuing to touch the plant or even putting the leaves or flowers in their mouths.
Can geraniums be eaten, for example in a salad?The well-known geranium varieties that are cultivated in the garden or balcony are non-toxic and can even be used in the kitchen, whose flowers can decorate a salad, for example. There is also a variety that is edible overall. This is the Ruprechtskraut (Geranium robertianum L.), also known as Stinking Cranesbill, which is native to the local latitudes and grows wild. The leaves are often collected and used as a herb in cooking.
Can my rabbits or guinea pigs eat geraniums?You should definitely not do this, because not only the wild geranium variety is poisonous for the field hamster, your own rodents cannot tolerate the oils either, they act like poison for the rodents. For adults, children, dogs and cats, the plants are completely harmless and non-toxic except for the slight allergic reaction that might occur.