Overview
Erodium cicutarium is a low annual or biennial in the geranium family, forming a flat basal rosette and growing 2-12 inches (5-30 cm) tall, often with reddish stems. The leaves are pinnately divided into many fern-like, deeply cut segments, 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) long, hairy and soft to the touch. From late winter through spring it bears small clusters of five-petaled flowers 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) across in pink to rose-purple, each flower lasting briefly before the petals drop. The fruit gives the plant its common name: a long, slender, beak-like structure 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) long resembling a stork's bill, which splits at maturity into five segments. Each segment carries a seed and a tail that coils and uncoils with changes in humidity, drilling the seed into the soil. The plant germinates in fall and spring and grows quickly on dry, open, and disturbed ground, roadsides, and overgrazed pasture. A cool-season weed across much of the world, it completes its cycle before summer drought and reseeds heavily. The flowers are visited by bees and other small insects. The foliage is not known to be toxic and is grazed by livestock and wildlife.
Native Range
Erodium cicutarium is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It has naturalized across North America, South America, and Australia, where it grows on dry, open, and disturbed ground and is common in rangeland and along roadsides.Suggested Uses
Erodium cicutarium is rarely planted and occurs mainly as a volunteer in lawns, dry banks, and disturbed ground. Where it grows, it supplies early forage for grazing animals and nectar for small bees in late winter and spring. Its low rosettes cover bare, dry soil before warm-season plants take hold.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2" - 1'
Width/Spread6" - 1'
Bloom Information
Flowering runs from late winter through spring, often February to May, and may continue where moisture lasts. The small pink to rose-purple flowers open a few at a time and drop their petals within a day or two. Flowering is followed quickly by the long beaked fruits.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
pink to rose-purpleFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Drought Tolerance
Drought tolerant when established