Family |
Geraniaceae
Erodium acaule
(L.) Bech. & Thell.
Erodium acaule (L.) Bech. & Thell.
(Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 25: 215; 1928 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CLXXXIX nº 4; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial or sometimes subannual herb, acaulescent or nearly so, with a thickened taproot and a basal rosette of leaves. Flowering scapes and peduncles arising directly from the rosette, 5–25 cm long, usually leafless.
• Leaves: All basal, pinnate to pinnatisect, 5–15 × 2–4 cm, composed of 7–15 opposite to subopposite leaflets, oblong to obovate, coarsely crenate or lobed, densely hairy on both surfaces, especially beneath; petiole long and pubescent.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Umbel-like inflorescences borne on long peduncles, typically 2–8-flowered. Pedicels 5–20 mm, erect in flower, reflexed in fruit. Sepals 5, lanceolate, pubescent with a central dark vein. Petals 5, pink to lilac with darker veins, obovate, slightly notched at the apex, 8–10 mm long. Stamens 5 fertile and 5 reduced.
• Fruit: Schizocarp composed of five mericarps with long, spirally coiling awns up to 30 mm, facilitating autochorous seed dispersal. Mericarps reticulate, pubescent, beak with glandular hairs.
• Phenology: Flowers from February to May; fruits mature from April to June.
• Habitat & elevation: Dry, open grasslands, rocky slopes, and roadsides, often on calcareous or sandy soils, from sea level to about 1 200 m.
• Lebanese distribution: Recorded by Mouterde from coastal and montane regions — notably Beirut, Saida, Jezzine, Zahlé, Dahr el-Baïdar, and Barouk; widespread in disturbed and semi-arid habitats.
• Native range: Algeria, Corse, France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe (POWO).
• Introduced into: Germany (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Easily recognised among Levantine Erodium species by its acaulescent habit, dense basal rosette, and pink-lilac flowers on leafless scapes. Formerly included within Erodium gruinum complex but separated by its perennial rootstock and rosette-forming growth. A typical component of Mediterranean pastures and rocky slopes.