Erodium

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Erodium

Classification

Species

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.