Geranium Blog

Stalking The Wild Erodium

Travelling through Kingman, AZ on Friday we stopped at a gas station. I spotted this low, green plant growing in the desert next to the parking lot. It had darling little pink flowers with five petals. A closer look revealed the storksbill seed pods. I was on it like Steve Irwin on a crocodile! What a thrill it was to meet a member of the Geraneaceae family "in the wild"! You better believe I collected seeds, too!

After some searching on the internet, I now believe this to be Redstem Filaree: Erodium cicutarium. It is a widespread weed in California, directly across the river from Kingman. Apparently it is very adaptable and will establish itself in all kinds of habitats. In fact, my first experience with this plant was on the playground at my elementary school, where we would pick the seedpods and squeeze the stem end to see the seeds shoot out on their little springs. My mother recalls making little scissors with the pods as a little girl.

Erodium reichardii 'Rubrum'

Erodium is a close relative of the Pelargoniums and Geraniums. E. r. 'Rubrum' is a low-growing plant with tiny scalloped, hairy leaves. It likes to grow in the shade during the summer.

Mushrooms in the Erodium - Oh, My!

Erodium reichardii with mushrooms

Here's something we don't see often in the desert: Mushrooms! It rained yesterday and was still humid today. That is all the excuse they needed.

Erodium is another genus of the family Geraniaceae, a cousin of the Pelargoniums. They are tiny low-growing cuties. Read more about them here. They aren't easy to find. I got mine from Geraniaceae.com.