Cranesbills, rockrose, willowherbs, loosestrifes, mallows

Geranium pratense (up to 100 cm) Meadow cranesbill Long hairy reddish stems. Violet blue flowers (25-30 mm) that lack notches. Flowers from June to September. Leaves are 7-9 lobed and cut almost to the base. Fruit have bent stalks when ripe. Found on grassland, particularly limestone such as roadside verges and meadows. Image taken at Warrington, Cheshire .

Geranium molle (up to 40 cm) Dovesfoot cranesbill Low sprawling, hairy cranesbill. Pinkish-purple flowers (6-10 mm) with notched petalsFlowers from April to September. Roundish leaves with 7-9 lobes cut to approximately halfway. Hairless ridged fruits. Found on grassy waste places with bare patches, often on limestone. Image taken at Ffrith beach, Prestatyn, Denbighshire .

Geranium robertianum (up to 50 cm) Herb robert Short hairy cranesbill with reddish stem and leaves. Deep pink flowers (14-18 mm) that lack notches. Flowers from April to November. Leaves are 3-5 lobed. Fruits ridged. Found in woods, hedgerows, shingle and mountain scree. Image taken at Garston Wood RSPB reserve, Sixpenny Handley, Dorset .

Geranium sylvaticum (up to 75 cm) Wood cranesbill Pinkish-purple flowers (15-20 mm) with slight notches in the petals. Flowers from June to August. Ripe fruit stalks are erect. Found in oipen woodland, hedgerows, moors and mountain ledges. Image taken at Meathop Moss, Meathop, Cumbria .

Geranium endressii (up to 60 cm) French cranesbill Salmon pink flowers (24-28 mm) with darker veins. Broad five-lobed leaves. Often found near gardens as an escapee. Image taken at Silverdale, Lancashire .

Geranium pyrenaicum (up to 60 cm) Hedgerow cranesbill Pink-purple flowers (14-18 mm) with deep notches in the petals. Flowers from May to September. Leaves are 7-lobed. Downy smooth fruits. Found in grassy places along hedgerows and other banks. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Geranium dissectum (up to 60 cm) Cut-leaved cranesbill Erect sprawling cranesbill. Pink-purple flowers (8-10 mm) with notched petals. Leaves are nearly cut to the base with seven narrow lobes. Downy fruits. Found on grassy waste places with bare ground. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Helianthemum nummularium (up to 50 cm) Common rock-rose Yellow flowers (20-25 mm) from May to September. Broad lanceolate leaves that are hairless above and downy below. Found on chalk and limestone grassland. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Chamerion angustifolium (up to 150 cm) Rosebay willowherb Tall spreading plant. Reddish-purple flowers with four unequal petals (20-30 mm) in large spikes from June to September. Narrow lanceolate leaves. Found on railway embankments, ditches, woodland clearings, heaths and mountainsides. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Epilobium hirsutum (up to 180 cm) - Great willowherb (Codlins-and-Cream) Tallest willowherb. Covered in soft hairs. Pinkish-purple flowers (15-23 mm) with four-lobed stigma. Flowers from July to September. Lanceolate unstalked leaves. Found near freshwater and other damp places. Image taken at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire .

Epilobium alsinifolium (up to 25 cm) - Chickweed willowherb Flowers are bluish-pink (14-16 mm) and slightly larger than those of Alpine willowherb. Larger, broader toothed leaves. Found on wet places in mountains, particularly with limestone soil. Image taken at Aira Force, Ullswater, Lake District .

Malva sylvestris (up to 100 cm) Common mallow (Bread-and-Cheese, Cheesecakes, Pick-cheese) Pinkish-purple flowers with darker veins (25-40 mm) from June to September. Crinkly ivy-like leaves with a small black dot at the base. Fruits are brown, cirucular discs ('like chees'). Found on bare disturbed ground and roadsides especially near the coast. Image taken at Ffrith beach, Prestatyn, Denbighshire .

Malva moschata (up to 80 cm) Musk mallow Stems with purplish hairs. Rose-pink flowers (30-60 mm) in a loose spike from June to August. Leaves are deeply cut into narrow lobes. Found in grassy places with open scrub. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire .

Lythrum salicaria (up to 150 cm) Purple loosestrife Six-petalled bright reddish-purple flowers. Found in whorls up the stem from June to August. Lanceolate unstalked, untoothed leaves present in whorls up the stem. Fruit is present as a capsule. Found by freshwater, fens and marshes. Image taken at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire .