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Plants

Erodium cicutarium bipinnatum

an annual or biennial member of the Erodium genus in the family Geraniaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Erodium
Life cycle
annual, biennial
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - tuberous[3]. The following report is for E. cicutarium, but is also likely to be true for this sub-species. Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb[5][11][12][13][4]. Tasty and nutritious[7]. The leaves are added to salads, sandwiches, soups etc[14], they can be used in recipes that call for leaves of beet, plantain, sow thistle or amaranth[4].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The following reports are for E. cicutarium, but are also likely to be true for this sub-species. A green dye is obtained from the whole plant. It does not require a mordant[2]. The remnants of the styles are very hygroscopic, they can be used in hygrometers and as weather indicators[8][10].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Weather forecasting

Environment

Range
W. Europe to N. Africa.
Habitat
Maritime sands[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[1]. Germination usually takes place within 3 weeks[6].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. Plants are likely to resist maritime exposure. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a sunny well-drained position and a limy soil or at least one that is not acid[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

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  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  7. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  9. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  11. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

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  12. Coyle. J. and Roberts. N. C. A Field Guide to the Common and Interesting Plants of Baja California. Natural History Publishing Co. 1975-00-00

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  13. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

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  14. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

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