Red Stemmed Filaree Redstem Stork's-bill

Erodium cicutarium

Family: Geraniaceae (Geranium)

Flowers — color: magenta, size: 3/8", type: 5 petals

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Five pale magenta petals, accented by one or more short, darker stripes, 3/8" dia. The flowers produce long, spiky seeds, hence one nickname of Stork's-bill.

Habit:
Red Stemmed Filaree may start with a small leaf rosette. It raises several stems having fine doubly-pinnate leaves and terminated by a flower. The terms erodium and geranium derive from the Greek words for crane and heron, referring to the resemblance of the seeds and the long bills of these birds. The sticky hairs on the seeds and the way the 'beak' coils and unfurls with humidity changes seem to help drive the seed into loose soil.

Non-native with world-wide distribution. I initially confused this plant with broad leafed filaree, which has a flat form and larger, coarser veined leaves. It does not enjoy very disturbed ground, and is likely to be found in grasslands and clearings far from any road.

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