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Common Name: Stork's Bill

General Information

Erodium cicutarium is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, the Himalayas and Japan.

Habitat

Sandy dunes, grassland, arable land, waste areas, roadsides, railway embankments etc, usually near the sea[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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[].

Edible Uses

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[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is astringent and haemostatic{9, , ]. 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[].

Other Uses

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[].

Propagation

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[].