Erodium guttatum ‘Stephanie’

Perennial of the Geraniaceae family, Erodium guttatum is native to Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, where it grows on dry lawns, garrigue, and sunny rocky areas on poor, well-drained substrates. The cultivar 'Stephanie' is a horticultural selection appreciated for the clarity of its flowers.

The plant forms a low and compact clump of 15 to 25 cm in height, with finely cut foliage, of medium green, slightly grayish. The slender flowering stems emerge in number and bear small umbels of two to three flowers.

It is the flower that catches the eye: five immaculate white petals, with the two upper ones each bearing a large dark purple spot almost black, finely veined, contrasting with the whiteness of the rest of the petal. This highly contrasting bicolor pattern is the hallmark of the cultivar and gives it a particularly neat ornamental character. In its natural habitat, the species blooms from May to July. In cultivation, 'Stephanie' blooms from May to August, sometimes more.

It requires a very well-drained, light soil, in full sun, with good tolerance to summer drought. Ideal in rock gardens, alpine troughs, or walls, where the flowers stand out clearly against the surrounding mineral.