Erodium pelargoniiflorum

Leaves mostly off the basal caudex, long oval, yellow-green, rather shiny, crenate, little lobed, hairy or not, sticky, leaves when bruised smelling of blackcurrant.

Inflorescence: Annual flowering stems rather short with a few reduced leaves; umbels of 6-8 flowers; flowers about 3cm across, white (or light mauve), 2 upper petals having a large tri-coloured corona-shaped mark (red, white, purple) with light pink or purple rays; flowers and beaks tend to face down; sepals have an obvious mucro of 2.5mm

Beak c 3cm, thinner than those of E. trifolium; foveole inconspicuous, narrow, deep, with non-capitate hairs, no fold beneath

2n=20 Guitt.

Distribution: endemic to Turkey (Konya and Isparta provinces); in shady rocky places and the mouths of caves in the mountains of Ghelipel above Ermenk in Cilica Trachaea; limestone rock at 900-1500m.

Remarks 1: cultivated plants in UK do not seem to form a trunk.

Remarks 2: Plants in nurseries labelled E. pelargoniiflorum (or even E. pelargoniifolium!!) that do not fit this description are E. trifolium. Some nursery lists even have E. trifolium as a synonym of E. pelargoniflorum - it is not!

Remarks 3: on Kew’s website ‘Plants of the World Online’, it’s Erodium pelargoniflorum page shows photos of Erodium trifolium!! Beware!!

Pelargoniflorum at RHS Wisley Garden, UK

Erodium pelargoniflorum in a garden, Ashford, Kent, 2005

Erodium pelargoniflorum in cultivation, Ashford, Kent, UK; 2005