Erodium L 'Her. ex Aiton

Herbs, rarely undershrubs with branches swollen or jointed at nodes. Leaves opposite, often alternate, lobed or pinnatisect, stipulate. Flowers usually regular, in axillary 1 - 2-flowered or umbelliferous peduncles. Sepals 5, alternate with 5 staminodes. Ovary 5-lobed, 5-locular, long-beaked in fruit; styles 5. Capsules 5-lobed, 5-locular; locules 1-seeded. Carpels indehiscent, separating septicidally from axis, their beaks elastically coiling upwards from base to apex of axis, hairy on inner surface. Mericarps usually with 2 apical pits; seeds non-endospermous.

About 90 species in Europe, Mediterranean region, C. & S.W. Asia, Australia and tropical S. America; 5 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Beak of mericarps plumose on ventral face with long soft cilia

3. Erodium oxyrrhynchum

b. Beak of mericarps ventrally clothed with rigid setae that disappear towards tip

2

2a. Leaves velvety beneath; sepals not awned; mericarps not pitted below beak

5. Erodium tibetanum

b. Leaves not velvety beneath, shortly pubescent; sepals awned or mucronate; mericarp. pitted below beak

3

3a. Sepals awned; filaments toothed on one side

4. Erodium stephanianum

b. Sepals mucronate; filaments glabrous, not toothed

4

4a. Most of the leaflets divided less than half-way to midnerve; apical pits of mericarps glandular

2. Erodium moschatum

b. Most of the leaflets divided less than half-way to mid-nerve; apical pits of mericarps eglandular

1. Erodium cicutarium

List of Lower Taxa