Geranium versicolor L., Pencilled Crane's-bill

Introduction, neophyte, an extremely rare garden escape.

1946; MCM & D; roadside bank near habitation, Farnaght, SE of Tamlaght.

A garden perennial with attractive, trumpet-shaped, white and strongly net-veined magenta-pink flowers and wintergreen leaves, this species is a native of C & S Italy, Sicily and the S Balkan Peninsula. It was introduced to cultivation in Britain as early as 1629, making it one of the first four hardy geraniums in decorative cultivation in this part of the world (Yeo 1985).

From the early decades of the 19th century onwards it has become a frequent garden escape or discard, widespread but thinly scattered throughout the length and breadth of England and Wales, although it remains extremely rare and sparsely scattered north of a line between Lancaster and Scarborough (New Atlas). Since it possesses a sturdy compact rhizome or rootstock, it readily establishes itself and can become thoroughly naturalised and long persistent in places such as grassy banks, hedgerows and semi-shade in woods (Clement & Foster 1994). The New Atlas map shows that G. versicolor is very much more frequent and persistent in the southern half of Britain and it is especially frequent in the extreme SW of England.

This species has only been recorded once in Fermanagh and that was as long ago as 1946. While it is known to persist in other parts of Ireland, RHN and the current author (RSF) have no knowledge of it doing so here. It first appeared in the wild near Lisburn, Co Antrim (H39) in 1837 but, in comparison with Britain, it very much more rarely 'jumps the garden wall' on this side of the Irish Sea. The few Irish records that have accumulated show it is largely clustered around Belfast and Dublin, although in fact it has been recorded at least once in twelve Irish VCs, ie the eleven listed in Cat Alien Pl Ir, plus Fermanagh.

The Latin specific epithet 'versicolor' is a combination of 'verto' meaning 'change' and 'color' meaning 'colour' and translates either as, 'changing colour' (Gilbert-Carter 1964), or 'variously coloured' (Stearn 1992). This name probably refers to the fact that the close net of fine magenta-pink veins on the white (or pale pink) petals, fades as the flowers age (Yeo 1985, p. 69).

The English common name 'Pencilled Crane's-bill' clearly is a book name, and the reference to the magenta veins is an obvious one.