Dark Geranium – The Daily Flower for 24 November

It’d be understandable if someone who was marooned was melancholy, but surely being maroon is no cause for miserableness? Not so for dark geraniums, who connote that sense of infinite sadness in floriography.

Geranium phaeum by TeunSpaans

‘Real’ geraniums – dark or otherwise – are in the Geranium genus of the Geraniaceae family, but bear a striking resemblance to the Pelargonium genus. Practiced gardeners tell them apart by their petals: real Geraniums (which are often dubbed cranesbills) have five petals of the same size, while Pelargoiums’ petals can be separated into two upper ones and three lower ones.

But of all the dark geraniums, it would be most plausible that the Victorians were talking about Geranium phaeum, which is not only decidedly deep magenta, but also known as Mourning Widow.

Good for giving to: Anyone down in the dumps.

Great dark geraniums in literature: What a black mood Rod McKuen creates:

“Rimbaud’s sister still keeps guard
over the evil plants and garden,
letting the rain
do most of the watering
letting the sun
do all the hard work.
Here is the dark geranium
and there is the twisted mum.”
From ‘Rimbaud’s Sister’ in Intervals (1986)

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Tags: flowers, geranium, floriography