Studies in Geranium

Geranium molle (En: Dove's-foot Cranesbill, Sw: Mjuknäva) from groups on roadside verges in Frome.... or maybe not.

The cranesbills are a very attractive group of mostly common species, so I soon got to know them back in the 1980s, and thereafter stopped really focussing on them. Now I'm looking again, and find that I've either forgotten a lot, or wasn't as knowledgeable about Geranium as I thought.

It's possible I've misidentified one or both groups, in which case I'll be back to correct in due course...

The other possible candidates are G. rotundifolium (another annual) and G. pyrenaicum (a perennial).

The leaves are hairy, the leaf-stems are round and hairy too.

These photos are from late December 2018.

First group, by Sainsburys roundabout, with eye-catching morning dew:

Second group (A361 Marston roundabout on S edge of Frome), speckled with yellow leaves. Leaf-lobes separated by relatively deep cuts.

Third group, near Asda roundabout. They stood out because of the wide gap between the two lowermost leaf-lobes.

Frome, 12th January 2019

I am also seeing Geranium lucidum (Shining Cranesbill). The upperside of the leaves do have a few hairs, but the stems are hairless.

Geranium lucidum. Sandy's Hill Lane, Frome, 15th January 2019.

 and Geranium robertianum (Herb Robert). This one, at any rate, is unmistakable.

Geranium robertianum. Frome, 12th January 2019.