A perennial of the Geraniaceae family, Erodium acaule is found in the Mediterranean basin, from southern France and the Iberian Peninsula to Italy and the Balkans. It inhabits dry grasslands, limestone scree, and sunny scree, from hills to the montane level.
Its name says it all: the plant is practically acaulescent, with no visible stem, forming a low and spreading rosette, pressed against the ground, 5 to 15 cm in height. The leaves are pinnatisect, with finely cut leaflets, of a dark green slightly grayish color, soft to the touch. The floral stems, slender and erect, emerge directly from the rosette and bear small umbels of two to several flowers.
The flowers are a fairly bright pink-purple, with five petals of which the two upper ones are often slightly darker or marked with a dark spot at the base, a common feature in the genus. In its natural habitat, it blooms from April to July depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it often begins as early as March-April.
It requires a very well-drained, poor soil in full sun, and easily withstands summer drought. Its compact rosette makes it an ideal choice for low rockeries, walls, and alpine troughs.