Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Geranium purpureum Supsp. forsteri 

Family

Geraniaceae

Flowering season

May to October

English distribution

It is quite rare and found only in parts of the South and

Southwest

See the BSBI distribution map for the prostrate

sub species of Little-Robin 

Habitat

It grows at the top of stabilised shingle beaches.

Description

Little-Robin is a native, annual prostrate, herb,

growing up to 20cm.

The flowers are similar but smaller than in the closely

related  Herb Robert.

They are pinkish purple and range from 7 to 14mm across

in Little-Robin compared to 14 to 18mm across in Herb

Robert.

Those shown here are at the smaller end of the range for

Little-Robin.

The pollen is yellow (cf. orange in Herb Robert).

The pedicels and calyx are more densely hairy than in

Herb Robert.

The leaves are palmate and the segments may be

thinner in Little-Robin.

Stems are branched and rather fragile.

I have included the inland upright form and the coastal

 prostrate form separately because they look rather

dissimilar. 

The upright form looks like a small Herb Robert but

the prostrate form is less so.