Cranesbills

We’ve had the white flowers, the yellow ones and some blue/purple ones, and now it’s the turn of the pink ones.

Here are the unmistakably shiny leaves of Shining cranesbill:

The flowers are tiny, about a quarter of an inch across:

D'you think I'm at last starting to get the hang of this close-up business?

My wildflower books say that the plant is uncommon, but there are quite a few splodges in the hedgerows around here. One of the books* also says that, like all cranesbills, Shining cranesbill stems bleeding and that ‘Its crushed leaves are still used as a compress for healing wounds.’ Worth remembering if you fall over when you’re out.

There are many wild cranesbills, nearly all with pink flowers, all endearing and all looking roughly similar. They are related to the garden (hardy) geranium and named after their pointed seedheads (of which I do not at this stage have a picture)..


* The Wildflowers of Britain and Ireland by Charles Coates (Frances Lincoln, 2008)