| Erodium | |
|---|---|
| Erodium malacoides | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Geraniales |
| Family: | Geraniaceae |
| Genus: | Erodium Aiton |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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Erodium is a genus of the botanical family Geraniaceae. The genus includes about 60 species, for the most part originating in the Mediterranean or Western Asian regions. American species are known as filarees or heron's bill, Eurasian ones are usually called storksbills.
Carl Linnaeus grouped in the same genus (Geranium) the three similar genera Erodium, Geranium, and Pelargonium. The distinction between them was made by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle based on the number of stamens or anthers: five for Erodium, seven for Pelargonium, and ten for Geranium. However, the three genera have the same characteristics in regard to their fruit, which resemble long bird beaks. That characteristic is the basis for the names: Geranium evokes the crane (Greek geranos), Pelargonium the stork (pelargos) and Erodium the heron (erodios).
Erodium species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Pasture Day Moth.