Description
The bloody cranesbill is a perennial of the geranium family. It occurs in Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus and is grown in many countries. In Poland it occurs throughout the lowlands, but is not very common. In the mountains it is very rare.
The stem is upright or ascending, with spreading hairs, 10–50 cm tall. Underground it has a thick rhizome.
The leaves are roundish in outline, up to 5 cm across. The lower ones are palmately divided into 7 segments, with narrow, lance-shaped, entire final lobes.
The flowers grow singly on stalks with spreading hairs. They are 2.5–4.0 cm across and blood-red. The petals are notched and twice as long as the sepals; the stamen filaments taper evenly.
It grows up to 25 cm tall. Its foliage lasts throughout the growing season, and it has carmine-red flowers from May to September. It has low soil requirements. It is suitable for borders, rock gardens, naturalistic plantings and for covering sunny banks.
Requirements
It needs a sunny or partially shaded position. It does not need fertile, humus-rich soil and likes sandy-loam or gravelly soils with a slightly alkaline pH.