A very pretty garden escape, Dusky Crane's-bill grows 30-60cm high bearing dark maroon flowers -15-20mm across - which have slightly pointed petals which are somewhat reflexed. The stamens are in a tightly-packed cluster. The flowers are borne on hairy, branched stems. The leaves, which are sometimes marked with blotches, are round and divided into 5-7 lobes. The fruit is beaked and hairy. This perennial plant can be found in grassy verges, at woodland edges. It is quite uncommon in Ireland except for the North East. It belongs to the Geranium family.
I first recorded and photographed this plant in 2012.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
