This is an elegant little Crane’s-bill which is sparsely hairy and grows about 60 cm high. Found mainly on calcareous soils and rocky ground, it is found mainly in the south-east of Ireland and even there it is quite scarce. Its long, slender stalks are its distinguishing features and these bear long-stalked 5-petalled pink flowers (12-18 mm across). The petals are only slightly cleft. The corollas are surrounded by bristle-tipped sepals which are also slightly striped and are as long as the petals. Deeply divided leaves stand clear of the stems and are often edged red. Flowering from June to August, this is an annual which belongs to the Geraniaceae family.
What a delight it was when I found this little flower, for the first time, growing on an old sand-heap in Inistioge, County Kilkenny. It was in July 2011 and I took the photographs at that time also.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
