In message . de, Jim
Scott writes
Dave Hill wrote in
roups.com:

On 20 Jun, 10:50, Stewart Robert Hinsley {$new...

wrote:
In message Xns99556A3E1458Djim.jimXscott.co...
, Jim
Scott writes

Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote in
:

In message , Charlie
Pridham
writes

"Jim Scott" wrote in message

emas.de...
Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote in
:

In message
. de,
Jim Scott writes
Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote in
:

In message
Xns99548F405594Ejim.jimXscott.co...
, Jim
Scott writes
I am trying to identify a perrenial.
It has most of the characteristics of a hardy
geranium, but
having checked specialist growers I do not recognise
it
there. The flowers are blue/purple, the plant ~ 6"
tall x
~9-12" wide initially, and the flowers are not of
the
cranesbill type. I have seen it growing wild on the
coast.
Any suggestions?

It's a bit on the small size, but is it a Common
Mallow
(Malva sylvestris)? The native(ish) form has pale
red to
rose to lilac flowers, but the Mediterranean form
has
magenta flowers, and might be found as an escape.

The leaves of mallows and geraniums can look very
similar;
it took me a few years to train myself to tell them
apart,
and that's assuming I don't come across anything
exotic. The
distinguishing mark of mallows (including
hibiscuses,
abutilons and the like) is the fusion of the
filaments of
the stamens into a column enclosing the style,
generally
with the free portion of the filaments and the
anthers
clustered at the top of the column.

Possibly.
I saw a blue geranium on the banks of The Tyne today,
so
perhaps it was that after all.

The wild blue-flowered species are Geranium pratense
(Meadow
Cranesbill) and Geranium sylvaticum (Wood Cranesbill).
But you
would have found these in Keble-Martin. (I
photographed one of
these as Allenback back in 2000.) There are other
blue-flowered forms among the cultivars and exotics,
such as
Geranium 'Johnson's Blue', Geranium wallichianum
'Buxton's
Variety' and Geranium renardii (rather purplish)

When you said that the flowers were not of the
cranesbill
type, I assumed you meant a difference other than
colour.

I did, but I cannot come up with anything else of that
habit in
my search. I am still not convinced that I have spotted
anything
with an intense enough blue to suggest I've found what
I'm
looking for. I gave my daughter my big illustrated book
of
plants and people are beginning to worry about this
strange old
geezer peering into their gardens. Google has not come
up with a
search I can do by: colour, flower size, plant size,
location
etc. -- Jim S
Tyneside UK
http://www.jimscott.co.uk
You said near the coast, most obvious blue flower there is
sheep
bit scabious, but the flowers are nothing like geranium!
then
there are sea asters, various campanulas, vinca minor and
chicory,
this year it would be difficult to work on flowering
periods as
everything seems to be early.

But, if I'm not mistaken, none of these have foliage that
looks
anything like a geranium either.

Never said anything about foliage.
I might be wrong, but all I said was that the size and shape
of the
whole plant is similar to that of one of the low growing
hardy
geraniums.

Your original post said "Most of the characteristics of a
hardy
geranium" ... "flowers are not of the cranesbill type". I
think
you'll find that most of us interpreted that as meaning that
it
looked like a geranium (which includes the form of the
foliage)
except for the flowers.

About all I now know of the plant is that it is herbaceous,
does not
have erect flowering spikes, and has blue-purple flowers. Can
you
offer us any more details?
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Or a picture?
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Well there you go. I drove 60 miles to get these and yes it is a
geranium. ?
http://www.jimscot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Geranium.htm
Now one of you can have the satisfaction of telling me which
one?

Bloody Cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum, known for its coastal
distribution ("dry rocks and sea cliffs", fide Keble-Martin).
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley