Erodium cicutarium

Family: Geraniaceae – Geranium Family

Erodium cicutarium is the only species from this family represented at Arches National Park.

Annual herbs; stems 1.97” to 2.6' (0.5 to 8 dm) long

Leaves: basal and opposite above; compound; fernlike; 0.4” to 4.8” (1 to 12 cm) long

Flowers: 5 pink to lilac petals; 5 sepals; 5, 10 stamens; 1 pistil; 1 style; usually radially symmetrical; in clusters; bisexual; petals 0.2” to 0.28” (5 to 7 mm) long

Pollinators: insects (specifically bees, beetles, moths and butterflies); self-fertile

Fruits: schizocarp which develops from a long-beaked pistil; dry which splits at maturity into one seeded closed segments

Blooms in Arches National Park: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Habitat in Arches National Park : widely distributed in open disturbed sites in different plant communities

Location seen: Visitor Center area, park road mile 0 to 2, Devils Garden trail

Other: The genus name, “Erodium”, is from the Greek “erodios” which means “heron” referring to the shape of the fruit. The species name, “cicutarium”, refers to the leaves which resemble the leaves of “Cicuta”, the genus name of water hemlock.

This is a non-native plant.

This plant was noted by explorer John Charles Fremont in 1844.