Fruit of Erodium ciconiumErodium lebeliiErodium glandulosum - MHNT
Erodium is a genus of flowering plants in the botanical family Geraniaceae. The genus includes about 120 species with a subcosmopolitan distribution, native to Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, and more locally in North and South America.[1] They are perennials, annuals, or subshrubs, with five-petalled flowers in shades of white, pink, and purple, that strongly resemble the better-known Geranium (crane's-bills).[2] In English-speaking areas of Europe, the species are known as stork's-bills.[3] In North America they are known as filarees or heron's bill.[citation needed]
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 stamens or anthers; five in Erodium,[4] seven for Pelargonium, and ten for Geranium.[4] 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.[5]
Species
As of June 2024[update], the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 121 species:[1]
