Erodium pelargoniiflorum 'Sweetheart'

The species has a slightly confusing history in horticulture.

Some nurseries have sold plants under the name Erodium pelargoniiflorum ‘Sweetheart’ that appear instead to be Erodium trifolium.

The two look similar, so plants may be mislabeled. I have raised my plants from seed (bought from a venerable and esteemed seed provider) so I believe that there is no confusion here!

The plant’s seed pods behave like many erodiums and geraniums, coiling and twisting as they dry; in some species these can be sharp when dry, so gardeners with pets sometimes prefer to monitor them, though this is more anecdotal than a documented hazard.

Originally from Turkey, this pelargonium-flowered Erodium is a perennial relative of geraniums, belonging to the same Geraniaceae family. It is a xerophytic plant (adapted to hot, dry climates), with a woody base and a shrubby habit, forming thin, slightly sticky and softly hairy segmented stems.

It has a bushy, rounded, well-branched growth habit, forming a cushion-like mound about 25 to 30 cm in all directions, with fairly slow growth.

Its evergreen foliage is aromatic when crushed, bright green with a paler underside. The small leaves (about 3 × 4 cm) are softly hairy, heart-shaped, lobed, and finely toothed.

Flowering is very long-lasting, extending from spring to autumn, though it slows during prolonged drought.

At the end of slender, softly hairy and slightly sticky stalks, appear delicate umbels of 5 to 8 small cup-shaped flowers. Each flower has five rounded petals that are white and marked with three violet stripes. The base of the petals is pink; the two upper petals are speckled with deep pink, and the stamens are also pink.

The fruit is a slightly hairy beak-like structure enclosed in the calyx, resembling a crane’s bill, which gives the plant its common name.