Common Storksbill

Erodium cicutarium

Plant Data

Order:

Geraniales

Family:

Geraniaceae (Cranesbill)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

Pink, 5 petals

Small clusters of pinkish-purple flowers, sometimes white. 5 petals, the upper two each often having a black spot at their bases.

Fruit:

Beak-shaped fruit, up to 4cm long. This plant is named after the shape of its fruit.

Leaves:

2-pinnate leaves with linear stipules at the leaf bases. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stems. The leaflets are finely lobed and toothed.

Maximum Size:

60 centimetres tall

Foraging Notes:

The tasty young leaves can be eaten, raw or cooked. The young stems can be eaten raw. The root can be chewed just like you would with chewing gum. The leaves are good to put in salads or soups.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Aroma:

Not pungent.

Other Names:

Alfilaree, Alfilaria, California Filaree, Coastal Heron's Bill, Cutleaf Filaree, Filaree, Hemlock Storksbill, Heron-bill, Pin Clover, Pingrass, Pinweed, Redstem Filaree, Redstem Storksbill, Redstemmed Filaree, Stork's-bill.

Frequency (UK):

Occasionally seen

Habitats:

Beaches, farmland, gardens, grassland, meadows, mountains, roadsides, sand dunes, seaside, wasteland.