The leaf of this plant is said to resemble a dove's foot – hence the name. The hairy leaves are deeply etched with lines radiating from the base and dividing further into the five to seven lobes into which the leaf is cut. The small 5-10mm pink flowers have five well-notched petals with dark purple lines leading into the little throat. This plant flowers from April to September. The name of this specie is 'molle' which means 'soft' in English and relates to the softly hairy nature of the plant which is quite unlike Geranium lucidum or Shining Crane's-bill with which it can sometimes be confused. In autumn the leaves turn quite red. It is a native plant and belongs to the family Geraniaceae
I first found this plant in Rath, Co Kerry in 1977 and photographed it in the Burren, Co Clare thirty years later
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
