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Erodium texanum

Texas stork's bill

Geraniaceae

Southwestern United States and northern Mexico

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterVery Low · drought-tolerant

Overview

Erodium texanum is a low winter annual in the geranium family (Geraniaceae), spreading 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) across the ground on branching, often reddish stems that may lie flat or rise at the tips. The rounded to heart-shaped leaves are 0.5-1.5 inches (1.5-4 cm) long, with scalloped or shallowly lobed margins, and are coated in short hairs. In late winter and spring it bears five-petaled flowers 0.8-1.2 inches (2-3 cm) wide, magenta to violet-purple, that open in the morning and often drop their petals by afternoon. After bloom, the long, pointed seed structure that gives the plant its common name forms; at maturity it splits into segments whose tails coil and twist with changes in humidity, drilling the seeds into the soil. E. texanum germinates with fall and winter rains, flowers in spring, and dies as the soil dries in early summer. It grows on dry plains, deserts, brushland, and disturbed ground across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. As a small, short-lived annual it leaves little trace after seeding and relies on reseeding to return.

Native Range

Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from Texas and Oklahoma west to California and south into Mexico. It grows on dry plains, desert flats, mesas, brushland, gravelly slopes, and disturbed open ground.

Suggested Uses

Grown in native, desert, and wildflower gardens and in dry-land seed mixes across the Southwest, where it adds early color on poor, well-drained soils. Its spring flowers are visited by small native bees. Its low, reseeding habit suits naturalized dry plantings rather than formal beds.

How to Identify

Recognized by its low, spreading habit and rounded, scalloped to shallowly lobed leaves on reddish stems. The magenta to violet-purple five-petaled flowers, about 1 inch (2-3 cm) wide, open in the morning and shed petals quickly. The slender, pointed seed beak, which can reach 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) and later splits into coiling segments, gives the plant its name. Its larger flowers and broader leaves separate it from the smaller-flowered redstem filaree.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'

Width/Spread6" - 1'4"

Colors

Flower Colors

purple

pink

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~10 weeks

Winter Spring

Flowers from late winter into spring, mainly February through May, opening over several weeks as new buds form along the branching stems. Individual flowers are short-lived, often shedding petals within a day. Bloom is heaviest after a wet winter and tapers as the soil dries.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

magenta to violet-purple

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 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

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.5 - 8.0(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Erodium texanum grows in full sun on dry, well-drained sandy, gravelly, or loamy soils with a pH near 6.5 to 8.0 and tolerates poor, rocky ground. It is drought tolerant and grows on winter and spring rainfall, needing no irrigation. Rich or wet soil shortens its life and produces weak growth. The plant reseeds and returns from seed where the ground stays open and undisturbed by deep cultivation. It needs no fertilizer in its native dry soils. Seedlings emerge in fall or winter, form a low rosette, and flower the following spring.

Pruning

No pruning is needed for this annual. Plants can be left to set and drop seed, then removed once they dry in summer. Leaving the coiling seed structures to mature lets the plant self-sow for the next season.