Common Stork's Bill

More info for the terms: forb, grassland

After spring prescribed burning in a basin big sagebrush community in
east-central Oregon, the number of viable redstem stork's bill seeds was
significantly (P less than 0.1) reduced in burned soil samples compared to the
number of viable seeds in unburned soil samples [54]. See the Research Project Summary of this work for more information on fire effects
on redstem stork's bill and 60 additional forb, grass, and woody plant species.

The following Research Project Summaries provide information on prescribed
fire and postfire response of redstem stork's bill and other plant species that
was not available when this species review was written.

• Nonnative annual grass fuels and fire in California's Mojave Desert
• Changes in grassland vegetation following fire in northern Idaho

redstem stork's bill
cutleaf filaree
purple filaree
redstem filaree
filaree
alfileria
pinclover
pingrass
cranesbill
heronbill
storksbill

More info for the terms: cover, ecotype

Redstem stork's bill generally provides poor cover [14].  One ecotype in
Glenville, California, forms basal rosettes 16 inches (40 cm) in
diameter, providing fair to good cover for small birds and mammals [28].

More info for the terms: capsule, forb, fruit, warm-season

Redstem stork's bill is an exotic forb that may be cool- or warm-season,
depending on climate [35,46].  The leaves of young plants form a basal
rosette.  Older leaves grow up to 12 inches (30 cm) long, becoming
decumbent to prostrate.  The persistent styles of this plant are 1 to 2
inches (2.5-5 cm) long and coil together at maturity, enveloping the
fruit at the base.  The fruit is a sharp-pointed, narrow capsule.  The
slender taproot is about 3 inches (8 cm) long [16,37,47].

Cutleaf filaree is distributed worldwide at latitudes below 70 degrees
north and south.  It occurs in Eurasia, North America, South America,
central and southern Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania [21].

In North America, redstem stork's bill is distributed across Canada and south
to Baja California, Mexico [21,33].



Distribution of redstem stork's bill . Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [2018, April 24] [49].

More info for the terms: fire regime, fuel, ground fire, seed

Plant adaptations:  Seed driven into the soil by the styles is usually
protected  from fire [52].

Fire ecology:  The prostrate stems of redstem stork's bill aid in spreading
ground fire.  Dead plants contribute to fuel loads. 

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: climax, forbs, grassland

Range:  Frequent prescribed burning favors redstem stork's bill and other
forbs over annual grasses [5,20].  This is desirable when the climax
grass provides poor forage, such as ripgut brome.  Grassland fire typically
destroys very few seeds or other organic matter in the soil [20].  It
does destroy the overlying mulch layer that inhibits germination of
redstem stork's bill seeds [5,19].

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: therophyte

Therophyte

Redstem stork's bill occupies a variety of different sites.  Site
characteristics are as follows:

Soil:  Redstem stork's bill grows in well-drained, clayey, loamy, or sandy
soil.  Variations in soil pH have been reported from moderately acid in
Tehema County, California to moderately alkaline in the Great Basin area
of central Utah [5,7].

Climate:  Native to the Mediterranean area, redstem stork's bill flourishes in
the semiarid climate of the Southwest and the Mediterranean climate of
California [47].  It will tolerate a broad range of climates, however,
including the tropical climate of Hawaii and the cold, rainy climate of
the Pacific Northwest.  Redstem stork's bill can grow in areas that
experience harsh, snowy winters because its short growing period allows
it to complete its life cycle before the onset of freezing weather
[18,21].

Elevation:  Redstem stork's bill occurs below 7,000 feet (2,134 m) [26].

Associated species:  The associated species of redstem stork's bill are too
numerous to list because of its global distribution.  Since cutleaf
filaree is mainly of interest as a range plant, the associated range
species of redstem stork's bill in several western states are listed as
follows:

Arizona:  Saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa and A. lentiformis), mustard
(Cruciferae), foxtail chess (Bromus rubens), Mediterranean schismus
(Schismum barbatus), canyon grape (Vitis arizonica), blue palo verde
(Cercidium floridum) [8,48].

California:  Slender oat (Avena barbata), ripgut brome (B. rigidus),
littlehead clover (Trifolium microcephalum), early filaree (Erodium
obtusiplicatum) [6,48].

Idaho:  St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum), downy brome (B.
tectorum), rattlesnake brome (B. briziformis), rattail sixweeks grass
(Vulpia myuros), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), bigflower agosersis
(Agosersis grandiflora), spur lupine (Lupinus laziflorus), autumn
willow-weed (Epilobium paniculatum) [43,48].

Nevada:  Turpentine broom (Thamnosma montana), desert bitterbrush
(Purshia glandulosa), blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), foxtail chess,
California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), desert needlegrass (Stipa
speciosa) [1,48].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

More info for the term: cover

   Found in most SAF Cover Types

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES12  Longleaf - slash pine
   FRES13  Loblolly - shortleaf pine
   FRES14  Oak - pine
   FRES15  Oak - hickory
   FRES18  Maple - beech - birch
   FRES19  Aspen - birch
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES27  Redwood
   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES31  Shinnery
   FRES32  Texas savanna
   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES39  Prairie
   FRES40  Desert grasslands
   FRES42  Annual grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

   Found in most Kuchler Plant Associations

More info for the terms: forest, litter, seed, severity

Moderate fire kills mature plants [20].  Grass fires are typically light
to moderate, and very young seedlings can survive fires of that
severity.  Dennis [13] found that newly germinated redstem stork's bill
seedlings just beneath the litter layer were not harmed by a moderate
grass fire in Mendocino National Forest, California.  Redstem stork's bill
seed in the litter layer remains viable following light fire, and seed
just under the litter layer remains viable following moderate fire.
Severe fire will kill seed unless it is buried 0.5 inch (1.25 cm) or
more deep [41,53].

Redstem stork's bill provides seasonal forage for rodents, desert tortoise,
big game animals, and livestock [4,5,32,24,51].  The seeds are eaten by
upland game birds, songbirds, and rodents [14,30,39].

More info for the term: grassland

Redstem stork's bill occupies a variety of habitats, from desert to riparian
[23,25].  In riparian communities, it indicates recent or frequent
disturbances [29].  The largest North American redstem stork's bill
populations occur in California, where annual grasslands have replaced
historical perennial grasslands [20,47].  Redstem stork's bill has been
listed as a dominant community type (cts) in the following published
classification:

Area                      Classification              Authority
CA: Central Valley        annual grassland cts        Heady 1977

More info for the term: forb

Forb

More info for the term: cover

Range:  Redstem stork's bill is important forage for cattle, horses, and
domestic sheep in California, Nevada, and Arizona [47].  Annual yields
vary depending upon soil moisture.  Talbot and others [43] found that
cover of redstem stork's bill in a Tehama County, California range fluctuated
from 70 percent in 1934 to 30 percent in 1935, a drought year.  Other
factors also affect the availability of redstem stork's bill.  The plant is
sensitive to airborne pollutants, especially sulfur dioxide, which
causes extensive leaf and stem burn.  Redstem stork's bill yields are reduced
on some southern California and western Arizona ranges due to this
problem [44].  Otherwise, redstem stork's bill has excellent range
durability.  The plant is resilient under heavy grazing pressure.  When
developing fruits are consumed by stock, the plant rapidly grows short,
prostrate stems that produce new fruits.  These new stems and fruits are
relatively inaccessible to stock, especially horses and cattle [22].
When most of the redstem stork's bill within a range assumes this growth
form, the range is overgrazed.

More info for the term: seed

The food value of flowering redstem stork's bill in central Arizona is as
follows [46]:

                         Percent Composition             

                          protein     17.10            
                          fiber       17.80             
                          calcium      2.54              
                          phosphorus   0.51              
                          potassium    3.56

The digestibility of redstem stork's bill for several animal species is rated
as follows [36]:

                          Percent Digestibility

                         white-tailed deer   40.0
                         cattle              12.4
                         domestic goats      12.5
                         horses              12.0
                         domestic rabbits    11.9
                         domestic sheep      12.9
                                                       
The seeds provide 5,505 calories per gram, or 8.92 calories per seed [40].

     AL  AK  AZ  AR  CA  CO  CT  DE  GA  HI
     ID  IL  IN  IA  KS  KY  ME  MD  MA  MI
     MN  MS  MO  MT  NE  NV  NH  NJ  NM  NY
     NC  ND  OH  OK  OR  PA  RI  SC  SD  TN
     TX  UT  VT  VA  WA  WV  WI  WY  AB  BC
     LB  MB  NB  NF  NT  NS  ON  PE  PQ  SK
     YT  MEXICO

More info for the term: presence

The presence or absence of redstem stork's bill pollen in fossil records,
sediment lakebeds, and artifacts has been used as a dating technique in
paleobotany and archeology [12,16].  Redstem stork's bill was one of the
first exotics to invade North America.  It was apparently introduced in
California during the early 1700's by passing Spanish explorers [51].

The relish and degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
redstem stork's bill in California and Utah is rated as follows [14,42,51]:

                                 CA       UT
        Cattle                  good     fair
        Sheep                   good     good
        Horses                  ----     fair
        Pronghorn               ----     good
        Elk                     ----     good
        Mule deer               good     good
        Small mammals           good     fair
        Small nongame birds     ----     fair
        Waterfowl               ----     poor

Redstem stork's bill seeds are highly palatable to rodents [30]. 

More info on this topic.

Seasonal development of redstem stork's bill varies depending upon climate.
Plant germinate in late fall in California, Nevada, and Arizona but
not start until midsummer of the following year in cold climates [5].
Plants in warm climates grow vigorously until winter, when growth slows.
Vigorous growth resumes in the spring.  In cold climates, growth is
continuous from spring or summer until plant death in early fall [47].
Gordon and Sampson [18] reported the following developmental data for
redstem stork's bill in O'Neal, California:

                       germination - November
                       early leaf stage - December
                       flowers in bloom - March
                       seeds ripe - May
                       seeds disseminated - June
                       plant death - June                         

More info for the terms: cover, density, prescribed burn, seed

During the first postfire growing season, density of redstem stork's bill is
reduced, but biomass increases [11].  Seed production is highest at
postfire year 1, with redstem stork's bill populations peaking at postfire
year 2.  Callison [10] reported redstem stork's bill as providing an absolute
cover value of 0.2 percent in an unburned area in the Beaver Dam
Mountains of southwestern Utah.  Following a prescribed burn, the cover
value was 11.1 percent in the first postfire growing season, and 11.5
percent in the second.  Cover value declined from postfire year 3 and
after.  By postfire year 12, redstem stork's bill was no longer visible in
the plant community.

More info for the term: secondary colonizer

   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: fruit, seed

Redstem stork's bill reproduces sexually [35,47].  Germination is triggered
by seasonal rains and soil temperatures that range between approximately
69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 deg C) during the day to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
(4 deg C) at night [23].  Light rains result in lower germination rates
than heavier rains [5].  When moist, the coiled styles enveloping the
seed expand, uncoil, and drive the arrow-shaped fruit into the ground
[16].  Seed can be driven as deep as 1 inch (2.5 cm), although seed
buried less deeply is more likely to germinate [52].  Young and others
[52] report an average germination success rate of 14 percent.  Plants
are sexually mature 2 to 4 months following germination [19].  Seed
either falls beneath the parent plant or is disseminated by animals.
Rodents frequently bury redstem stork's bill seed in a food cache where
unconsumed seed later germinates [30].  Seed also catches on animal fur
and is disseminated in that manner [16].  Seeds of Erodium spp. can
remain viable for many years, and form extensive seed banks [9].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: grassland, secondary colonizer, seed

Redstem stork's bill is a pioneer on disturbed sites.  Wagner and others [50]
reported that redstem stork's bill seedlings were the first to emerge on
lands strip-mined for coal in New Mexico.  Redstem stork's bill may have been
an initial colonizer in open areas of the Mojave Desert [51].  It is
also a residual or a secondary colonizer, since seedlings can either
establish from on-site seed or from seed carried in by animals [16].  In
annual grassland communities, redstem stork's bill is an early- to mid-seral
stage plant, being intolerant of the mulch layer that builds up in older
communities [4].  Redstem stork's bill is replaced in annual grasslands by
ripgut brome and slender wild oat.  Redstem stork's bill will tolerate
partial shade, but vigor is reduced [2].

The scientific name of redstem stork's bill is Erodium cicutarium
(L.) L'Her. (Geraniaceae) [24,35,49]. Infrataxa are [49]:

Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Her. ex Aiton subsp. bipinnatum Tourlet
Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Her. ex Aiton subsp. cicutarium
Erodium cicutarium (L.) L'Her. ex Aiton subsp. jacquinianum (Fisch., C.A. Mey. & Ave-Lall.) Briq.