Erodium botrys

Erodium

and California

This site was created and is maintained by Benjamin Coultrup.

Photos all ©Benjamin Coultrup unless otherwise indicated, 1984-2021.

Clade I, Subclade 1

Subgenus Erodium

- Section Erodium

- Section Oxyrynchia

- stephanianum group

Clade I, Subclade 2

Subgenus Barbata

- Section Absinthoidea

Clade II, Subclade 3

- cygnorum group

Clade II, Subclade 4

- botrys group

- Section Cicutaria,

- Subsection Cicutaria

- Subsection Acaulia

- Section Malacoidea

- Subsection Reichardia

- Subsection Malacoidea

- Section Foetida

California

Literature and References

Notes

Erodium botrys (Cav.)Bertol.

Herb; caulescent annual, stems hairy more or less rambling, to 40cm.

Leaves: Basal leaves numerous, in a flat rosette at first, entire, upto 50mm, variable but upper leaves pinnatifid, not pinnatisect.

Inflorescence: Umbels of 1-4 flowers 30mm across, pink and without marks; sepals minutely red tipped, shorter than petals; bracts acute, brown.

Fruit: Mericarp 10-19mm, not less with deep smooth eglandular foveoles, with 2-3 furrows at base; beak 90-120mm, not less; beak is green at base but red at tip; seed cotyledons have many incisions and often red edged. 2n=40

Plants with flowers of dull bluish-purple are likely to be E. Brachycarpum. Beak and seed details separate the 2 species; in the Mediterranean region E.botrys is always in sandy soils; E. brachycarpum in poor hard soils so rarely are together; elsewhere they are found together and hybridise.

Distribution: Endemic to Mediterranean, but now global in unsprayed dry places, in deep sandy soils often on roadsides.

Mericarp and awn of E. botrys

Mericarp of E. Botrys clearly showing the multiple furrows.

E. botrys, showing an upper leaf.

Seedlings of Erodium botrys, with first true leaves. Note the cotyledons have many incisions.

Young plant showing basal leaves.