Storksbill, Long-beaked;  Erodium botrys

Early Bloomer.  Five petaled, small pink/purplish flowers, beak-like seed pods, weedy.  Also called Scissor Plant.  Seed pods coil to resemble clock springs.

Notes:  Geranium family.  See notes for Red-stemmed Filaree.  The Long-beaked filaree (Storksbill) grows low to the ground and has many characteristics in common with red-stemmed filaree.  A notable difference is the shape of the petals.  The long-beaked storksbill's petals flare out together to form a horn, while the red-stemmed filaree's petals splay out separately.  See example photos below.

Click on species name below to go to USDA for this species.

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants
    Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
        Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants
            Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants
                Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons
                    Subclass Rosidae
                        Order Geraniales
                            Family Geraniaceae -- Geranium family
                                Genus Erodium L'Hér. ex Ait. -- stork's bill
                                    Species Erodium botrys (Cav.) Bertol.  
                                    -- longbeak stork's bill

Storksbill, Long-beaked  (Erodium botrys)
A few late blossoms among a sea of storksbill seed pods


Storksbill, Long-beaked  (Erodium botrys)
Extreme close-up of 1/4-inch blossom, storksbill pod beside it


Storksbill, Long-beaked  (Erodium botrys)
Medium close-up of blossoms and storksbills


Storksbill, Long-beaked  (Erodium botrys), intermingled with red-stemmed filaree