Common Stork's-bill

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• alfilaria
• red-stemmed filaree
• red-stemmed stork's-bill
• stork's-bill
• Common Stork's-Bill
• Alfileria
• Common Storksbill
• Filaree
• Heron's Bill
• Herons-Bill
• Pin Clover
• Pin Grass
• Red-Stem Stork's-Bill
• Redstem Filaree
• Redstem Stork's-bill
• Stork's bill
• Wild Musk

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Erodium cicutarium var. arenicola
• Erodium pimpinellifolium
• Geranium cicutarium var. pimpinellifolium
• Erodium cicutarium proles pimpinellifolium
• Geranium cicutarium var. praecox
• Geranium cicutarium var. chaerophyllum
• Erodium pilosum var. chaerophyllum
• Erodium ballii
• Erodium bipinnatum var. albiflorum
• Geranium moschatum var. pimpinellifolium
• Erodium cicutarium var. vulgare
• Erodium melanostigma var. thalictroides
• Erodium pimpinellifolium var. pilosum
• Geranium cicutarium var. pilosissimum
• Erodium cicutarium var. album
• Erodium melanostigma
• Erodium praetermissum
• Erodium verbenifolium
• Erodium cicutarium var. immaculatum
• Geranium chaerophyllum
• Geranium cicutarium
• Geranium pimpinellifolium
• Geranium praecox
• Myrrhina inodora
• Erodium immaculatum
• Erodium himalayanum
• Erodium hirsutum
• Erodium millefolium
• Erodium minutiflorum
• Erodium moranense
• Erodium pallidiflorum
• Erodium parviflorum
• Geranium arenicola
• Erodium pentalobum
• Erodium petroselinum
• Erodium praecox
• Erodium subalbidum
• Erodium melanostigma var. grandiflorum
• Erodium triviale
• Erodium cicutarium f. arenarium
• Erodium baeticum
• Erodium cicutarium f. argenteum
• Erodium boraeanum
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. atomarium
• Erodium atomarium
• Erodium cicutarium var. hirsutum
• Erodium cicutarium f. hirsutum
• Erodium cicutarium var. chaerophyllum
• Erodium cicutarium var. cicutifolium
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. dunense
• Erodium cicutarium var. cinereum
• Erodium cicutarium var. triviale
• Erodium cicutarium proles dissectum
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. zairae
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. dissectum
• Erodium cicutifolium
• Erodium cicutarium var. estebani
• Erodium chaerophyllum
• Erodium carneum
• Erodium danicum
• Erodium cicutarium var. pallidiflorum
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. ontigolanum
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. pallidiflorum
• Erodium commixtum
• Erodium filicinum
• Erodium dissectum
• Erodium cicutarium f. pimpinellifolium
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. praecox
• Erodium alsiniflorum
• Erodium cicutarium f. praecox
• Erodium cicutarium var. filicinum
• Erodium cicutarium primulaceum
• Erodium cicutarium var. pimpinellifolium
• Erodium cicutarium var. primulaceum
• Erodium cicutarium var. praecox
• Erodium cicutarium proles primulaceum
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. primulaceum
• Erodium cicutarium f. primulaceum
• Erodium praecox var. primulaceum
• Erodium cicutarium var. subalbidum
• Erodium cicutarium f. subalbidum
• Erodium romanum var. caulescens
• Erodium pimpinellifolium var. subalbidum
• Erodium praecox var. baeticum
• Erodium praecox var. escurialense
• Erodium praecox subsp. primulaceum
• Erodium primulaceum f. praecox
• Erodium pimpinellifolium var. hirsutum
• Erodium jacquinianum var. annuum
• Geranium cicutarium var. erectum
• Geranium cicutarium var. album
• Erodium cicutarium var. viscosum
• Erodium cicutarium var. arvale
• Erodium cicutarium var. psilorhynchum
• Erodium cicutarium var. arenarium
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. pimpinellifolium
• Erodium cicutarium subsp. praetermissum
• Erodium cicutarium var. commixtum
• Erodium pilosum var. glutinosum
• Erodium pilosum var. vestitum
• Erodium pilosum var. subglabrum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known scientifically as Erodium cicutarium, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is categorized under the order Geraniales and the family Geraniaceae. Finally, it is classified under the genus Erodium.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is widely distributed across several regions within Northern Europe. It can be found growing in the natural landscapes of Denmark. Furthermore, its presence is noted throughout the territories of Finland and Norway. The species also inhabits the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. These specific locations highlight the plant's preference for the northern European climate.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Erodium cicutarium is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to diverse and often harsh environmental landscapes. This species thrives across a wide variety of habitats, including deserts, hills, mountains, semideserts, and steppe ecosystems. Its altitudinal tolerance is exceptionally broad, allowing it to occupy ecological niches ranging from sea level (0 m AMSL) to high-altitude environments reaching up to 4000 m AMSL. This vast elevational range enables the plant to colonize various climatic zones, making it a resilient component of both low-lying arid regions and high-mountain terrains.

Elevational range max:

4000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

desert, hills, mountains, semidesert, steppe

Genetics

The genetics of Erodium cicutarium are characterized by a complex and highly variable karyotype, which is indicative of its evolutionary history involving various polyploidy events. A defining feature of its genetic structure is the significant diversity in its chromosome number, with recorded values including 20, 30, 40, 42, 48, and 54. This wide range of ploidy levels suggests that the species undergoes frequent genome doubling and chromosomal rearrangements, contributing to its ability to adapt to diverse ecological niches. Such chromosomal plasticity plays a critical role in its genetic diversification and population structure across different geographical regions.

Chromosome number :

20, 30, 40, 42, 48, 54

Life history

The life history of Erodium cicutarium is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning it completes its entire developmental process from germination to seed production within a single growing season. As a therophyte, the plant spends the majority of its existence in the seed stage, emerging only when environmental conditions are favorable for rapid growth and reproduction. Its vegetative structure is entirely deciduous, shedding its foliage as it completes its seasonal cycle and transitions back into dormancy through seed dispersal.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Erodium cicutarium is characterized by a non-woody, herbaceous growth form, specifically classified as a forb. This terrestrial plant is self-supporting rather than a climber or vine, and it functions as an independent organism without parasitic tendencies. The plant exhibits an ascending shoot orientation, with shoots reaching a maximum length of 50 cm. In terms of overall stature, the plant height is variable, ranging from a minimum of 0.02 m to a maximum of 0.6 m, with a mean height of approximately 0.425 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.6 m

Plant height mean:

0.425 m

Plant height min:

0.02 m

Shoot length max:

50 cm

Shoot orientation :

ascending

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Erodium cicutarium is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, indicating a reliance on the standard Calvin cycle for carbon fixation. The plant exhibits a non-carnivorous nutritional strategy and does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it must acquire nitrogen through soil uptake. Its vegetative structure is defined by an opposite leaf arrangement, with leaf dimensions varying significantly; individual leaves can range in length from a minimum of 1 cm to a maximum of 18 cm, while the width fluctuates between 1 cm and 3 cm. These leaves possess an imparipinnate form and maintain a mean leaf size of approximately 17.425 cm². Furthermore, the plant demonstrates a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 280.41 cm²/g, reflecting its leaf mass per area and its physiological approach to light interception and resource management.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf arrangement :

opposite

Leaf form :

imparipinnate

Leaf length max:

18 cm

Leaf length min:

1 cm

Leaf size mean:

17.425 cm²

Leaf width max:

3 cm

Leaf width min:

1 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

280.41 cm²/g

Reproduction

Reproduction in Erodium cicutarium is achieved through sexual means, utilizing bisexual flowers that are arranged in an umbel inflorescence. The flowering period typically begins in April and extends through July. These flowers are characterized by a pink coloration and vary in length from a minimum of 0.4 cm to a maximum of 0.9 cm. The pollination process is primarily biotic, specifically involving insects such as bees. While the plant is capable of self-fertilization, its reproductive cycle is highly productive; each dry fruit, which measures on average 3.1 cm in length (ranging from 2 cm to 4 cm), can contain a significant number of seeds, typically between 101 and 1000 seeds per fruit. The resulting seeds are small, with a length ranging from 2 mm to 3 mm and a volume between 2.7 mm³ and 3.8 mm³ (averaging 3.25 mm³). In terms of mass, the seeds average approximately 0.0017878714 g, with a minimum of 0.00121 g and a maximum of 0.0046 g. Finally, the dispersal of these seeds follows a zoochorous syndrome, specifically via epizoochory, allowing them to be transported by animals. Asexual reproduction is absent in this species.

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Dispersal syndrome :

epizoochorous

Flower colour :

pink

Flower length max:

0.9 cm

Flower length min:

0.4 cm

Flowering time :

Apr

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

4 cm

Fruit length mean:

3.1 cm

Fruit length min:

2 cm

Inflorescence :

umbel

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed length max:

3 mm

Seed length min:

2 mm

Seed mass max:

0.0046 g

Seed mass mean:

0.0017878714 g

Seed mass min:

0.00121 g

Seed volume max:

3.8 mm³

Seed volume mean:

3.25 mm³

Seed volume min:

2.7 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

101-1000

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Erodium cicutarium has 4 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include (+)-catechin, Gallic acid, Tannin, vitamin C.

(+)-catechin

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

Gallic acid

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

Tannin

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

vitamin C

1. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences

Conditions

Erodium cicutarium has 3 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Vesicular stomatitis, myxoviruses, vaccinia virus.

Vesicular stomatitis

1. Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis

Myxoviruses

1. Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis

Vaccinia virus

1. Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis