Erodium malacoides aka Mediterranean Stork's Bill

Erodium malacoides belongs to the geranium family, Geraniaceae. Its common names include oval heron's bill and soft stork's bill. It grows as an annual or biennial. Annual plants complete their life cycle within one year. Biennial plants live across two growing seasons. Kew places its native range from Macaronesia to Pakistan and Somalia. This range includes Mediterranean Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. Records include Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Ukraine. They also include Turkey, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. The RHS does not list it as native to Britain or Ireland.

This plant grows in dry, open ground, including roadsides and waste places. Kew links it with a subtropical climate. Plants For A Future describes the species as variable in form. The supplied sources give no species-level measurements for height or spread. They also give no detailed account of its leaves or stems. Plants For A Future records flowering in July. Each flower has both male and female organs. The evidence does not identify how the flowers receive pollen. It gives no species-level details of flower colour or fruit shape.

In cultivation, choose an open site with full sun. This species does not grow in shade, according to Plants For A Future. It suits sandy and loamy soils with good drainage. The soil should be neutral or alkaline rather than acid. Lime-rich ground suits it. It can grow in either dry or moist soil. The source includes cultivated beds among its garden settings. No hardiness zone appears in the supplied evidence. For seed propagation, sow directly where the plants will grow. Sow ripe seed in late summer, or sow in late spring. Plants For A Future reports that seeds tend to sprout readily.

The leaves have a recorded food use, either raw or cooked. Plants For A Future gives their edible value two out of five. It lists no known hazards, but this is not a full safety assessment. The same source records no medicinal uses. The whole plant can also provide a green dye. This dye needs no mordant to help fix the colour. Plants For A Future does not flag the species as weedy. The supplied evidence names no particular pests or diseases.