Erodium absinthoides agg.

1. Lamina of basal leaves oblong, length 2-4 x width, segments laxly and deeply 2-pinnatifid into lanceolate acute laciniae; stems bearing 1-12 peduncles ………………………………….…….………….……….…………….……………………………….………………………………………….……………….………….. 2

2. Leaves densely canescent; stems grey with short, retrorsely adpressed hairs; flowers white, in June………..…….. Erodium absinthoides

2. Leaves greenish, adpressed-pilose; stems patently hirsute, often also bearing subsessile glands; flowers lavender-blue, in July to August …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Erodium armenum
2. Leaves green to grey-green, narrow leaf segments, ultimate segments narrow-linear; flowers pink, April to May, mucro long 1.5-2mm, beak 4.5 – 6cm ………………………….…………….……………………………….…………………………………………………………………………… Erodium elatum

1. Lamina of basal leaves ovate, length c. 1.5 x width, segments 1-2-pinnatifid into short obtuse laciniae or teeth; stems bearing 1-2 peduncles ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

3. Segments deeply pinnatifid, subsericeous; flowers bright pink, June to July……………………………………………………………. Erodium latifolium

3. Segments lobed only to the middle, greenish; flowers white, July to August ………………………………………………………. Erodium haradjianii

Fig 1. This shows the distribution of E. absinthoides, E. armenum, E. latifolium and E. haradjianii in Turkey. E. armenum extends eastwards into Armenia and Azerbaijan. E. elatum is found off the map, to the west in the Balkans.

Erodium absinthoides Willd. (sens strict.) Leaves are silvery grey, narrowly oblong, length 2-4 times the width, with segments laxly and deeply bipinnate into lanceolate acute lobes, densely canescent. The flowering stems bear 1 to 12 peduncles of white flowers with notched petals in June. Sepals with a long mucro 2 - 2.8 mm; beak is 4 to 4.5 cm. Found at 100-1600 m, western central Turkey. Synonym: Erodium absinthoides subsp. absinthoides.

Erodium armenum (Trautv.)Woronow Leaves are grey-green, narrowly oblong, length 2-4 times the width, with segments laxly and deeply bipinnate into lanceolate acute lobes, adpressed pilose. The flowering stems bear 1 to 12 peduncles of lavender-blue flowers in July and August. Sepals with a short mucro; beak is 3.5 to 4 cm. Found at 2300-3200 m, eastern Turkey, Armenia and Georgia. Synonym: Erodium absinthoides subsp. armenum (Trautv.) P.H.Davis

Erodium elatum (Form.) R.T.F. Clifton Leaves are grey-green, oblong, 2-3 pinnatisect, with ultimate segments narrow linear. The flowering stems bear peduncles of 4 to 8 pink to bluish-violet flowers in April and May. Sepals with a long mucro of 1.5 to 2 mm. The beak is long being 4.5 to 6 cm. Found above 1600 m, in Europe, in Bulgaria, Greece, Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia. Synonym: Erodium absinthoides subsp. balcanicum (Micevski) Greuter & Burdet

Erodium haradjianii P.H.Davis Leaves are greyish, oblong-ovate, length 1.5 times their width, pinnatisect with segments lobed only to the middle, with short obtuse teeth. The flowering stems bear 1 to 2 peduncles of 3 to 6 white flowers in July and August. Sepals with a short mucro. The beak is short at 2.5 to 4.2 cm. Found 1500 to 2000 m, endemic to Turkey in one province Osmaniye in the north Amanos Mountains at Düldül Dag. Synonym: Erodium absinthoides subsp. haradjianii (P.H.Davis) P.H.Davis

Erodium latifolium (Davis) R.T.F. Clifton Leaves are silvery, ovate, length 1.5 times their width, simply 1-2-pinnatifid, with short obtuse teeth, leaf surface is subsericeous. The flowering stems bear 1 to 2 peduncles of bright pink flowers in June and July. Found 2500 m, only found in one location on rough scree limestone in Turkey; province Trabzon. Synonym: Erodium absinthoides subsp. latifolium (P.H.Davis) P.H.Davis

Euro+Med PlantBase

This website has these five taxa all lumped into one taxon - Erodium absinthoides, not even as subspecies.

The following have also been listed as synonyms:

Erodium anthemifolium M. Bieb

Leaves similar to E. alpinum, grey white; flowering stems diffuse, elongate, leafy; Flowers blue, July. Caucasus East.

Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss

Habit caespitose, forming dense wide hard hummocks, 5-12 cm high; leaves bipinnatisect, silver-grey; flowers white or lilac July to August; 2300-2500m, Uludag, NW. Türkiye

Erodium cinereum Boiss. & Heldr.

Plant caespitose, covered with short adpressed hairs; flowers rose pink, June

Erodium olympicum Clementi

With lax rosettes of greenish pinnatisect leaves, leaflets pinnatifid, lobules not further toothed or cut, distinguishing it from many of the Absinthoidea group; flowering stem 7-12cm , unbranched; flowers white, August; Uludag, NW. Türkiye.

Erodium vetteri Barbey & Fors.-Major

Densely caespitose perennial, 5-12 cm; basal leaves 2-pinnatisect, canescent; flowers white, 7-8mm; Greek island Samos.

Erodium hakkiaricum P.H.Davis

Slender prostrate perennial; leaves laxly 2-3-pinnatisect; Flowers small, white; Kara Dag at 2900m, in Province Hakkiari, southeastern Türkiye

Erodium sosnowskianum Federov

Squat plant with a thick rhizome; leaves are bipinnately divided; flowers purple, June; Armenia at 2400-3000m

As these taxa have distinct identities, it seems best to keep them all as separate species to ensure data is not lost.

Kew - Plants Of The World Online

The Kew list has the five species above listed as subspecies except that Erodium elatum seems to have been united with the Greek species Erodium guicciardii Heldr. as Erodium absinthoides subsp. guicciardii (Heldr.) Maire & Petitm.!

Erodium elatum - leaves grey-green, ultimate segments narrow linear, umbels of 4 to 8 pink to bluish-violet flowers, with rounded petals, in April and May.

Erodium guiccardii - leaves silvery-tomentose, final leaf segments scimitar-lanceolate, umbels of 2-7, satin pink, petals rather pointed. Flowers late July and August

Kew lists the following as species:

Erodium anthemifolium M. Bieb

Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss

Erodium vetteri Barbey & Fors.-Major

Erodium hakkiaricum P.H.Davis

Erodium sosnowskianum

However Erodium cinereum Boiss. & Heldr. is listed as a synonym of Erodium absinthoides subsp. absinthoides.

And Erodium olympicum Clementi is listed as a synonym of Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss.

Erodium dimorphum and Erodium ghahremanii

Now a brief look at two other species, from Iran.

Both are perennial dioecious species with white flowers.

Erodium dimorphum is tufted, or to 20cm tall, with only simple hairs, leaves up to 12 cm, greyish, leaflets orbicular-ovate, to 1 cm.

Erodium ghahremanii - newly described, grows to about 25 cm tall, with mixed simple and glandular hairs, basal leaves 10-18 cm, greenish-yellow, leaflets lanceolate, 2-3 cm long - so leaf shape and colour different to E. Dimorphum.

The differences between these two species seen smaller than those of the absinthoides group, but they have been listed as separate species by Kew. It seems reasonable that that five taxa in the absinthoides group should be recognised as separate species.