Erodium is a genus of in the botanical family Geraniaceae. The genus includes about 120 species with a subcosmopolitan distribution, native plant to Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, and more locally in North America and South America.
Taxonomy
Carl Linnaeus grouped in the same genus (
Geranium), the three similar genera
Erodium,
Geranium, and
Pelargonium. The distinction between them was made by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle based on the number of
or
; five in
Erodium,
[Parnell, J. and Curtis. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ] seven for
Pelargonium, and ten for
Geranium.
However, the three genera have the same characteristics in regard to their fruit, which resemble long bird beaks. That characteristic is the basis for the names:
Geranium evokes the crane (Greek
geranos),
Pelargonium the stork (
pelargos), and
Erodium the heron (
erodios).
Erodium species also differ in having
pinnate leaves, whereas
Geranium species have
palmately lobed or divided leaves.
[Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. Collins Flower Guide. Harper Collins ]
Species
, the
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 121 species:
Hybrids include:
-
Erodium × anaristatum Andreas
-
Erodium × bolosii Romo
-
Erodium × fallax Jord.
-
Erodium × viscosum Salzm. ex Delile
Ecology
Erodium species are used as food plants by the
of some
Lepidoptera species including the pasture day moth.
Cultivation
In cultivation,
Erodium species are usually seen in rockeries or
alpine gardens.
The hybrid cultivar E. × variabile 'Roseum' ( E. corsicum × E. reichardii), a compact, spreading perennial plant with rose-pink flowers in summer, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Uses
Species such as
E. cicutarium and
E. moschatum are edible.
See also
Further reading
