Geranium x monacense

This is a new one in my garden, flowering for the first time. I love the smouldering dark colour

this one looks paler than my Monacense' Which one is it?

It's probably the camera - it does look darker than this in the flesh. It's just x monacense and came from Croftway.

personally I think the phaeums and monacense can be mixed up very easily by nurseries

Well how do you tell the difference? It doesn't look like the phaeums I have and, as I said, is darker in real life than in the photo - and bluer/more purple

I see the pair of you were discussing on another thread whether a particular plant was a phaeum or a reflexum - and x monacense is half and half lol

I'm sure you're right about mix ups Mark, but were you casting doubt on this one's labelling? If so why?

Philomel the main difference is in the shape of the flower. In Phaeum, the flowers curve forwards ina shallow to flatish bowl shape. Reflexum flowers as the names suggests reflexes backwards thus giving an arrow type shape. Both Phaeums and Reflexums are species. But, as you so rightly point out Monacense is a cross between the two and here many misclassifications occur. Reflexum flowers are a rich mauve in colour. You do not get dark forms therefore flowers that are reflexed backwards and are dark in colour are likely ot be a monacense. Monacense do also come in paler colours too. I hope that this isnt too confusing?

No I think I can cope with that *G*
Thanks for the explanation psilo. So it looks as if this one probably is what the label says, bearing in mind that the camera hasn't quite got the colour right

Well I trusted you Mark - you were with me when I bought it lol

wasnt critical of yours just pointing out

OK :) Wasn't sure...

Heres Phaeum you wont find down the garden centre as it is one of mine!

That's very nice psilo! I like the pale centre
Lovely photo too - what make/model camera have you got?

Thanks Philomel. My camera is the basic digital Olympus Brio D230 with macro facility. Its almost idiot proof to use, but having said that I had a good teacher! ;)