Stork's Bill, Redstem stork's bill
Erodium cicutarium
Family: Geraniaceae
What it is like
Erodium cicutarium is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, beetles, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Sandy dunes, grassland, arable land, waste areas, roadsides, railway embankments etc, usually near the sea.
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, the Himalayas and Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb. Harvested in the spring before the plant flowers, they are tasty and nutritious. The leaves are added to salads, sandwiches, soups etc, they can be used in recipes that call for leaves of beet, plantain, sow thistle or amaranth. Young stems - raw. Root - chewed by children as a gum.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The whole plant is astringent and haemostatic{9, 13, 21]. It has been used in the treatment of uterine and other bleeding. The root and leaves have been eaten by nursing mothers to increase the flow of milk. Externally, the plant has been used as a wash on animal bites, skin infections etc. A poultice of the chewed root has been applied to sores and rashes. A tea made from the leaves is diaphoretic and diuretic. An infusion has been used in the treatment of typhoid fever. The leaves are soaked in bath water for the treatment of rheumatism. The seeds contain vitamin K, a poultice of them is applied to gouty typhus.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Haemostatic: Controls internal bleeding.
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Other
Rating: 2
A green dye is obtained from the whole plant. It does not require a mordant. The remnants of the styles are very hygroscopic, they can be used in hygrometers and as weather indicators. The dried plant powder has been mixed with watermelon seeds during storage and planting in order to prevent watermelon disease.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
Weather forecasting: A few plants that are supposed to help us forecast the weather.
How it is grown
Prefers a sunny well-drained position and a limy soil or at least one that is not acid. Plants are likely to be resistant to maritime exposure.
Propagating it: Seed - sow in situ as soon as the seed is ripe in the late summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring. Germination usually takes place within 3 weeks.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist