Storksbill

Parts Usually Used

The leaves

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Storksbill is an annual plant, 3 to 12 inches high; the slender, fern-like, hairy, reddish, decumbent stem bears pinnate leaves which, like those of the basal rosette, have sessile, oblong or ovate-oblong leaflets which themselves are pinnatifid into narrow, often toothed lobes. The basal leaves survive through the winter. The purple or pink, geranium-like, 5 petaled, flowers, less than 1/2 inch long, bloom from early spring to late fall.

The sepals are terminated by 1 or 2 white, bristle-like hairs which give the plant its name. Seeds are smooth, elongated, and sharp, like a stork’s bill. Another plant: The plant (Geranium maculatum) is called storksbill but has no relation to Erodium cicutarium.

Where Found

Native to the Mediterranean region and widely naturalized in dry and sandy soils, waste places of the eastern, southwestern, and western United States, where it is often grown for hay.

Medicinal Properties

Astringent, hemostatic

Legends, Myths and Stories

The alum root (Geranium maculatum) is also called storksbill, among other common names.

Uses

Historically, herbalists used the plant for uterine bleeding as well as difficult or excessive menstruation. Traditional sources also held that it could influence blood pressure. Externally, folk traditions utilized a poultice of the seeds for gouty tophi, and water infused with the leaves was added to baths for individuals with rheumatism.

Bibliography

, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023