Nomenclature

Species name:

Erodium malacoides   (L.) L'Hér.

Author(s):

Carl von Linné
   Sweden, 1707-1778

Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
   France, 1746-1800

Common name:

Mallow-leaved Stork's Bill
Glandular Stork's Bill
Mediterranean Stork's bill
Oval Heron's bill

Maltese name:

Moxt

Plant Family:

Geraniaceae   (Geranium Family)

Name Derivation:

Erodium = from the Greek erodios, "a heron," due to the long beak on the fruit that gives rise to some of its common names such as storksbill and cranesbill. The latter meaning is reinforced by the family name Geranium, the derivation of which is geranos, "crane" (Greek);

malacoides = Soft, gentle, mucilaginous for the leaves and stems (Greek).

Synonyms:

Geranium malacoides, Erodium subtrilobum, E. aragonense, E. glutinosum, E. malvaceum

Plant Description

Life Cycle:

Annual (or Biennial)

Habitat:

Different habitats such as fields, valleys, wasteland, roadsides, etc.

Sources in Malta:

Very common throughout the islands. Almost all valleys!

Plant Height:

15 - 50cm

Flowering Time:

Jan-Apr

An annual or biennial erect plant that is the most abundant between the members of the Geraniaceae in Malta. It forms many leaves or branches arising from common stem nodes. Short deflexed hairs are sparsely found along the stem and petioles, more abundant but shorter on the leaves, peduncles and calyces.

Lower leaves have very long petioles, sometimes 3 or 4 times as much as the lamina length. However the length of the petioles decreases gradually up the stem to the extent that uppermost leaves are sub-sessile. The plant is easy distinguished from the other Geraniaceae species from its broad oval leaves with a cordate base, hence resembling a maple leaf. For this reason this plant is sometimes known as the maple-leaved Geranium. The adult leaves have very shallow lobes and an overall dentate margin. Pinnate venation is conspicuous and sometimes the leaves are mottled with yellow patches.

The inflorescence is an umbel of 3-7 flowers, present at the apex of the stem or branches. The calyx is composed of 5 free, narrow sepals 5-7mm long, light green in colour with 3-7 dark green, longitudinal veins. They are hairy and have a bristle-like tip. Sepals are found spread out during the flowering phase and become erect during the fruiting phase. The corolla is composed of 5 free, non-overlapping petals, 6-9mm long with a deep violet-magenta colour. The are not veined and the tip is blunt and entire (not notched).

The female part is a central ovary with a short style and a terminal violet stigma the splits into 5 filiform parts. The male reproductive organs are 5 stamens with a thin firm filament holding a bluish-violet anther that produce yellow pollen. They are found alternating between the filiform stigma parts.

The fruit consists 5 conical mericarps (4-5mm long) around an elongated needle-like style (known as beak in the fruiting phase) which measures between 20-32mm in length. At the apical part of each mericarp, there are deep pits followed by a wide and deep furrow. The remaining body tapers to a pointed base and have sparse white or golden hairs along. The mericarps are connected to the upper part of the beak by a strap-like appendage known as the rostrum.

When mature, the entire mericarp (holding one seed) is pulled by the rostrum and both detach themselves from the beak and fall to the ground. The rostrum twirls and unwinds with varying humidity, and this have a drilling effect down into the soil. The narrow tapering head of the mericarp helps the burrowing process. One in humid soil, the mericarp wall breaks and the seed is found down in the soil.

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