Erodium cicutarium

Erodium cicutarium, Otto Wilhelm Thome

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Geraniales

Familia: Geraniaceae
Genus: Erodium
Subgenus: E. subg. Barbata
Sectio: E. sect. Rhizomatosa
Subsectio: E. subsect. Cicutaria
Species: Erodium cicutarium
Name

Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Hér. in W.Aiton, Hort. Kew. 2: 414 (1789).
Synonyms

Basionym
Geranium cicutarium L., Sp. Pl. 2: 680 (1753).
Homotypic
Myrrhina inodora Rupr., Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint Pétersbourg, Sér. 7, 15(2): 277 (1869).
Heterotypic
Erodium alsiniflorum Delile, Index Seminum (MPU, Monspeliensis) 1847: 7 (1847).
Erodium arenarium Jord., Mém. Acad. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci. 1: 256 (1851).
Erodium atomarium Delile ex Godr., Mém. Sect. Med. Acad. Sci. Montpellier 1: 423 (1883).
Erodium boraeanum Jord., Mém. Acad. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci. 1: 259 (1851).
Erodium carneum Jord., Mém. Acad. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci. 1: 259 (1851).
Geranium arenicola Steud., Flora 39: 439 (1856).
Erodium cicutarium var. arenicola (Steud.) Speg., Revista Fac. Agron. Univ. Nac. La Plata 3: 500 (1897).
Geranium chaerophyllum Cav., Diss. 4: 226 (1787).
Erodium cicutarium f. chaerophyllum (Cav.) DC., Prodr. 1: 646 (1824).
Erodium cicutifolium Salisb., Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 311 (1796).
Erodium commixtum Jord. ex F.W.Schultz, Arch. Fl. France Allemagne: 164 (1848).
Erodium danicum K.Larsen, Biol. Meddel. Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk., reimpr., 23(6): 14 (1958).
Erodium dissectum Rouy in G.Rouy & J.Foucaud, Fl. France 4: 108 (1897).
Erodium filicinum Pomel, Nouv. Mat. Fl. Atl. 2: 339 (1875).
Erodium glutinosum Dumort., Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique 4: 345 (1865).
Erodium himalayanum Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 150 (1835).
Erodium hirsutum Schur, Verh. Naturf. Vereins Brünn 15(2): 164 (1877).
Erodium immaculatum (W.D.J.Koch) P.Fourn., Fl. Compl. Plaine Franç.: 73 (1928).
Erodium melanostigma Mart., Hort. Acad. Erlangen: 139 (1814).
Erodium millefolium Willd. ex Kunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 5: 288 (1823).
Erodium minutiflorum Godr., Mém. Soc. Natl. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 19: 173 (1875).
Erodium moranense Willd. ex Kunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 5: 228 (1822).
Erodium cicutarium subsp. ontigolanum Guitt., Boissiera 20: 104 (1972).
Erodium pallidiflorum Jord., Index Seminum (GR, Gratianopolis) 1849: 2 (1849).
Erodium parviflorum Jord., Index Seminum (GR, Gratianopolis) 1849: 15 (1849).
Erodium pentalobum Dulac, Fl. Hautes-Pyrénées: 237 (1867).
Geranium pentandrum Gilib., Fl. Lit. Inch. 2: 178 (1782).
Erodium petroselinum L'Hér. ex DC., Prodr. 1: 647 (1824).
Geranium petroselinum (L'Hér. ex DC.) L'Hér. ex Webb & Berthel., Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries 3(2; 1): 22 (1836).
Erodium pimpinellifolium (Moench) Sibth., Fl. Oxon.: 211 (1794).
Geranium pimpinellifolium With., Bot. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 2, 2: 724 (1787).
Erodium praetermissum Jord. ex Boreau, Fl. Centre France, éd. 3, 2: 131 (1857).
Erodium sabulicola Jord. ex Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 140 (1878).
Erodium subalbidum Jord., Mém. Acad. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci. 1: 257 (1851).
Erodium tenuisectum Lange, Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 1865: 132 (1865).
Erodium triviale Jord., Mém. Acad. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci. 1: 255 (1851).
Erodium cicutarium var. triviale Trautv., Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 4: 122 (1876).
Erodium verbenifolium Delile, Index Seminum (MPU, Monspeliensis) 1847: 7 (1847).
Erodium cicutarium subsp. zairae A.P.Khokhr., Byull. Moskovsk. Obshch. Isp. Prir., Otd. Biol., n.s., 97(6): 98 (1992 publ. 1993).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Northern Europe
Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden.
Regional: Middle Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Baleares, Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece,itzerland.html">Switzerland, Italy, Kriti, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia.
Regional: Eastern Europe
Belarus, Baltic States, Krym, Central European Russia, East European Russia, North European Russia, South European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Ukraine.
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.
Regional: Macaronesia
Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira, Selvagens.
Regional: Northeast Tropical Africa
Chad, Eritrea, Socotra.
Regional: Southern Africa
Cape Provinces, Lesotho, Free State.
Regional: Middle Atlantic Ocean
St.Helena.
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Siberia
Altay, Buryatiya, Chita, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Tuva, West Siberia, Yakutskiya.
Regional: Russian Far East
Amur, Khabarovsk, Magadan, Primorye.
Regional: Middle Asia
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan.
Regional: Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus.
Regional: Western Asia
Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Sinai, Turkey.
Regional: Arabian Peninsula
Gulf States, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
Regional: China
China South-Central, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, China North-Central, China Southeast, Tibet, Xinjiang.
Regional: Eastern Asia
Japan, Korea, Taiwan.
Continental: Asia-Tropical
Regional: Indian Subcontinent
Pakistan, West Himalaya.
Regional: Malesia
Jawa.
Continental: Australasia
Regional: New Zealand
Chatham Islands, New Zealand North, New Zealand South.
Continental: Northern America
Regional: Subarctic America
Alaska, Greenland.
Regional: Western Canada
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
Regional: Eastern Canada
Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec.
Regional: Northwestern U.S.A.
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.
Regional: North-Central U.S.A.
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Regional: Northeastern U.S.A.
Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia.
Regional: Southwestern U.S.A.
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.
Regional: South-Central U.S.A.
New Mexico, Texas.
Regional: Southeastern U.S.A.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, District of Columbia.
Regional: Mexico
Mexico Northeast, Mexico Gulf, Mexican Pacific Islands, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest.
Continental: Southern America
Regional: Central America
Guatemala, Honduras.
Regional: Northern South America
Venezuela.
Regional: Western South America
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru.
Regional: Southern South America
Argentina Northeast, Argentina South, Argentina Northwest, Chile Central, Chile North, Chile South, Uruguay.
Continental: Antarctic
Regional: Subantarctic Islands
Falkland Islands.
Note: Grey script indicates introduced occurrences.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Aiton, W. 1789. Hortus Kewensis; or, a catalogue of the plants cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. Vol. II. Octandria–Monadelphia. 460 pp., tt. 7–10. George Nicol, London. BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. 818 pp. BRIT Press, Fort Worth, Tx. ISBN 978-1-889878-45-4. Reference page.
Aistova, E. (2009). Check-list of adventive flora of Amur region. Turczaninowia 12(1-2): 17-40.
Allred, K. W. 2012. Flora Neomexicana. The vascular plants of New Mexico. Vol. 1: An annotated checklist to the names of vascular plants, with synonymy and bibliography. Ed. 2. 613 pp. Range Science Herbarium, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Erodium cicutarium in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Jul 31. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2021. Erodium cicutarium. Published online. Accessed: Jul 31 2021.
Tropicos.org 2021. Erodium cicutarium. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 31 Jul 2021.
Hassler, M. 2021. Erodium cicutarium. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2021 Jul 31. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2021. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Erodium cicutarium. Accessed: 31 Jul 2021.

Vernacular names
العربية: رقمة شوكرانية
azərbaycanca: Sikuta durnaotu
català: Cargola cicutària
kaszëbsczi: Zwëczajny bòcónnik
čeština: Pumpava obecná
Cymraeg: Pig y crëyr
dansk: Hejrenæb
Deutsch: Gewöhnlicher Reiherschnabel
English: Common Stork's-bill
español: Alfilerillo
euskara: Lausarda
فارسی: نوک لک‌لکی هرز
suomi: Peltokurjennokka
français: Bec-de-grue commun
hornjoserbsce: Wšědna kosyčka
magyar: Bürökgémorr
italiano: Erba cicutaria
lietuvių: Paprastasis dalgutis
Nederlands: Gewone reigersbek
norsk: Tranehals
Diné bizaad: Dzílí biláshgaan
polski: Iglica pospolita
Runa Simi: Ñaqch'a-ñaqch'a
русский: Аистник обыкновенный
slovenčina: Bocianik rozpukovitý
shqip: Gjilpërqyqja
српски / srpski: Жива трава
svenska: Skatnäva
Türkçe: Saat otu
українська: Грабельки звичайні
oʻzbekcha/ўзбекча: Laylaktumshuq
中文: 芹叶牻牛儿苗

Erodium cicutarium, also known as common stork's-bill,[1] redstem filaree, redstem stork's bill or pinweed, is a herbaceous annual – or in warm climates, biennial – member of the family Geraniaceae of flowering plants. It is native to Macaronesia, temperate Eurasia and north and northeast Africa,[2] and was introduced to North America in the eighteenth century,[3] where it has since become naturalized, particularly of the deserts and arid grasslands of the southwestern United States.[4]

Distribution and ecology
Globe icon.


The plant is widespread across North America. It grows as an annual in the continent's northern half. In the southern areas of North America, the plant tends to grow as a biennial with a more erect habit and with much larger leaves, flowers, and fruits. It flowers from May until August. Common stork's-bill can be found in bare, sandy, grassy places both inland and around the coasts. It is a food plant for the larvae of the brown argus butterfly.

The seeds of this annual are a species collected by various species of harvester ants.[5]
Description

It is a hairy, sticky annual. The stems bear bright pink flowers, which often have dark spots on the bases. The flowers are arranged in a loose cluster and have ten filaments – five of which are fertile – and five styles.[6] The leaves are pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, with hairy stems.[7] The long seed-pod, shaped like the bill of a stork, bursts open in a spiral when ripe, sending the seeds (which have long tails called awns) into the air.

Morphology of E. cicutarium
Flowers
Leaf
Achenes with awns
Seed dispersal behavior

Erodium cicutarium seed uses self-dispersal mechanisms to spread away from the maternal plant and also to reach good germination site to increase fitness. Two techniques that Erodium uses are explosive dispersal, which launches seeds by storing elastic energy, and self-burial dispersal, where Erodium seeds move themselves across the soil using hygroscopically powered shape change.[8]
Explosive dispersal

After flowering, the five pericarps on the fruits of Erodium, and the awns, which are hair-like appendages of pericarps, join together and grow into a spine shape. As the fruits dry, dehydration create tension, and elastic energy develops within the awns. The shape of the awns change from straight to helical, causing them to explosively separate the seeds away from the maternal plants.[9] During dispersal, mechanical energy stored in specialized tissues is transferred to the seeds to increase their kinetic and potential energy. The energy storage capacity of the seeds is determined by the level of hydration, suggesting a role of turgor pressure in the explosive dispersal mechanism.[10]
Self-burial dispersal

The awn of each seed, once on the ground, responds to humidity of the environment and changes its shape accordingly. The awn coils under dehydration and uncoils when wet. This results in motor action of the seed, which, combined with hairs on the seed and along the length of the awns, moves the seed across the surface, eventually positioning them into a crevice and creating a drilling action that forces the seed into the ground. The coil and uncoil of the awns are achieved by the hygroscopic tissue in the active layer on the awns. Hygroscopic movement happens with respond to a change in the water content of dead plant tissue, specially in the cell wall. Water absorbed by the cell wall binds to the matrix of the awns, causing it to expand and to drive the cellulose microfibrils apart, which causes the matrix to uncoil, thus straightening the awns. Inversely, the matrix will contract under dehydration, leading to the coil of the awns.[11]
Erodium Cicutarium seed uncoiling as it absorbs moisture (real-time)
Erodium cicutarium seed drills itself into the soil (time-lapse)

Research found no correlation between weight of the awned fruits and the dispersal distance.[4] E. cicutarium with larger seeds have a longer coil and uncoil time compare to smaller seeds. In the field, the rate of seed burial declined throughout the season. The larger seeds buried themselves more often than the smaller seeds. However, larger seeds have a harder time finding a large enough space for the seeds to be buried. Conversely, smaller seeds have an easier time finding a hole and drilling themselves in, and thus are more likely to be buried.[9]
Advantages

The advantages of explosive dispersal and self-burial dispersal are to get mature seeds of E.cicutarium quickly to the ground during the most favorable period for burial by hygroscopic mechanisms, thus increase fitness.
Uses

The young leaves are edible raw or cooked.[7] The whole plant is reportedly edible with a flavor similar to sharp parsley if picked young. According to John Lovell's Honey Plants of North America (1926), "the pink flowers are a valuable source of honey (nectar), and also furnish much pollen".[12] Among the Zuni people, a poultice of chewed root is applied to sores and rashes and an infusion of the root is taken for stomachache.[13]
Nutrition
Hairy stork's bill, rawNutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 96 kJ (23 kcal)
Carbohydrates

7.9 g
Sugars 4.3 g
Dietary fiber 3.0 g
Fat

0.1 g
Protein

0.6 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV†
Vitamin A equiv.
25%
200 μg
Vitamin C
2%
2.03 mg
Minerals Quantity
%DV†
Calcium
7%
74.3 mg
Iron
17%
2.2 mg
Magnesium
6%
20 mg
Phosphorus
4%
28 mg
Potassium
5%
223.4 mg
Sodium
1%
18.9 mg
Zinc
4%
0.4 mg
Other constituents Quantity
Water 90.6 g
[1]

Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units

†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.

Raw Hairy stork's bill are 90.6% water, 7.9% carbohydrates, 0.6% protein, 3% dietary fiber, 0.8% ash and 0.1% fat.[14]
References

"Erodium cicutarium", NBN Atlas, retrieved 2022-02-19
"Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Hér". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
Philip Stott, Scott Mensing & Roger Byrne (1998). "Pre-mission invasion of Erodium cicutarium in California". Journal of Biogeography. 25 (4): 757–762. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.1998.2540757.x. S2CID 84221304.
Nancy E. Stamp (1984). "Self-burial behaviour of Erodium cicutarium seeds". Journal of Ecology. 72 (2): 611–620. doi:10.2307/2260070. JSTOR 2260070.
G. D. Harmon & N. E. Stamp (1992). "Effects of postdispersal seed predation on spatial inequality and size variability in an annual plant, Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 79 (3): 300–305. doi:10.2307/2445019. JSTOR 2445019.
David Giblin. "Erodium cicutarium, redstem stork's bill, common stork's bill". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
Dumais, Jacques; Hotton, Scott; Evangelista, Dennis (2011-02-15). "The mechanics of explosive dispersal and self-burial in the seeds of the filaree, Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae)". Journal of Experimental Biology. 214 (4): 521–529. doi:10.1242/jeb.050567. ISSN 0022-0949. PMID 21270299.
Stamp, N. E. (1989). "Seed Dispersal of Four Sympatric Grassland Annual Species of Erodium". Journal of Ecology. 77 (4): 1005–1020. doi:10.2307/2260819. ISSN 0022-0477. JSTOR 2260819.
Hayashi, Marika; Feilich, Kara L.; Ellerby, David J. (2009). "The mechanics of explosive seed dispersal in orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (7): 2045–2053. doi:10.1093/jxb/erp070. ISSN 1460-2431. PMC 2682495. PMID 19321647.
Elbaum, Rivka; Abraham, Yael (2014-06-01). "Insights into the microstructures of hygroscopic movement in plant seed dispersal". Plant Science. 223: 124–133. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2014.03.014. ISSN 0168-9452. PMID 24767122.
John H. Lovell (1926). Honey Plants of North America.
Scott Camazine & Robert A. Bye (1980). "A study of the medical ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2 (4): 365–388. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(80)81017-8. PMID 6893476.
Cohen, Shabtai; Koltai, Hinanit; Selvaraj, Gopinath; Mazuz, Moran; Segoli, Moran; Bustan, Amnon; Guy, Ofer (August 20, 2020). "Assessment of the Nutritional and Medicinal Potential of Tubers from Hairy Stork's-Bill (Erodium crassifolium L 'Hér), a Wild Plant Species Inhabiting Arid Southeast Mediterranean Regions". Plants. 9 (9): 1069. doi:10.3390/plants9091069. PMC 7570100. PMID 32825348.