Erodium acaule (L) Becherer et Thell.

Erodium acaule is a stemless perennial with rosettes of green rather hairy leaves.

Leaves pinnate; leaflets dentate to pinnatifid; ultimate segments of leaves elliptic lanceolate. Petiole very short, sparsely eglandular pubescent.

Erodium acaule; Catanian maakunta, Italia; 12/04/2019; photo: Markku Vihava; iNaturalist; (CC BY-NC-ND)

Inflorescence: Umbels rise from the rosette, with up to12 flowers and brown bracts. Sepals 5-8mm with appressed glandular hairs, petals rose-pink, 7-12mm, equal, lightly marked but not with a dark patch.

Erodium acaule: 06360 Èze, France; 16/04/2015; photo: Guillaume Fried; iNaturalist; (CC BY-NC)

Fruit: foveole eglandular with a fairly distinctive furrow. Beak 30-50mm. 2n=40.

Erodium acaule; 13100 Beaurecueil, France; 28/04/2024; photo: Patrice D’Onofrio; iNaturalist; (CC BY-NC)

Distribution: endemic to Portugal and the Mediterranean on  roadsides, and sandy and dry places. Portugal, Spain, France, Corsica, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Greece, Crete and Turkey.

Erodium acaule; Attica, Greece; Feb 19, 2022; Credit: Stavros Apostolou; from iNaturalist; (CC BY-NC 4.0)

First published in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 25: 215 (1928)

Synonyms:

  • Geranium acaule L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1143 (1759)
  • Erodium romanum (Burm.f.) L’Hér. in W.Aiton, Hortus Kew. 2: 414 (1789)