Its long, three-lobed green leaves with reddish veins are very cut and fluffy. The buds are pink; the small flowers, white and purple, have five petals, two of which are streaked with red. Few plants are so widespread and universally admired as the geranium, of which about a hundred species are cultivated, all fragrant but with very different scents, from which we have the pleasure of picking leaves and flowers throughout the year. The geranium bears the names, in the countryside, of Robert’s herb, devil’s fork or crane’s bill. This last nickname evokes the shape of its fruit which resembles a long narrow beak, hence its scientific name: pelargonium comes from the Greek pelargos (stork) and geranium from geranos (crane). It existed in the wild in the ancient world, but it has only been cultivated since its arrival in Europe in the late 17th century. It was first established on Bourbon Island, now Réunion. As a medicinal plant, geranium once treated ophthalmia, excessive milk flow, swelling of the throat due to inflammation of the tonsils, and violent angina qualified as esquinancia. In perfumes, geranium has its place in some famous formulas: ”Jazz” by Yves Saint Laurent, ”Brut” by Fabergé, ”Calèche” by Hermès and ”Égoïste” by Chanel.