A member of the Geraniaceae family, Geranium robertianum is commonly known as herb-robert or Robert geranium and is an introduced Eurasian weed.The plant is a relatively small tap rooted annual with hairy stems spreading out from the base of the plant reaching 10-60 cm high. The light green to reddish colored leaves are pinnately divided with 3-5 main divisions, both sides sparse with hair. The five flower petals (corolla) are pink to magenta in color often with white stripes. Flowers are often borne in pairs. The calyx consists of 5 sepals that have glandular hairs with bristles at the tips. The fruit is a pointed column of fused capsules formed from the 5 styles that is 13-20 mm long producing a very recognizable structure common to the family.The species is typically found in clearings, open grasslands or forests and meadows at lower elevations.
The common name of ‘herb-robert’ has unknown origin with a couple speculator guesses: 1. It was used for disease treatment in Germany (Ruprechts-plauge) and may have been named after Robert, Duke of Normandy or 2. Honoring St. Robert whose birth coincides with the flowering of the plant in April.
Pojar, J. and A. McKinnon (1994) Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing, Washington, Canada.
i