The Storkbill (Erodum cygnorum), also commonly known as the Blue Storkbill, is a short-lived native herb species has deeply divided leaves, whilst the flowers that can be blue, pink or white, are on stalks in clusters. The distinctive feature is the fruit / seed pod, appearing as a long beak. The annual can be seen after good autumn or winter rains.
In Central Australia / Northern Territory, there are two known sub-species of Erodium cygnorum, being ssp. glandulosum and ssp. cygnorum.
This sub-species appears to be E. cygnorum spp. cygnorum – similar to E. cygnorum ssp. glandulosum, but without the glandular hairs, being absent on the individual flower-stalks. These photos were taken during September, along the Tanami Road, north of Alice Springs.
The following is from the Olive Pink Collection. Water colour on paper sketched by Olive Pink, (place and date unknown) Northern Territory. Identified by Olive Pink as Erodium eygnorum.
Miss Pink’s Wildflowers, University Librarian, University of Tasmania.
Common name
Heron’s Bill, Crowfoot, Cranebill, Storkbill. known as Blue Heronsbill in Western Australia, Blue Storksbill in South Australia.
Internationally known as Australian Stork’s Bill (USA), Australian Filaree (USA), Western Stork’s-bill (UK).
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Rosanae
- Order: Geraniales
- Family: Geraniaceae
- Genus: Erodium
- Species: Erodium cygnorum
Footnote & References
- Erodium Are Fun… Hear Us Out!, 22 March 2018, Land for Wildlife Garden for Wildlife, https://wildlife.lowecol.com.au/blog/erodium/
- Erodium cygnorum Nees, Blue Heronsbill, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2897449#overview
FloraFlora in Australia Flora Index Acacia Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) Annual Yellowtop Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var filiforme Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Australian Bluebell Australian Gossypium Banksia Batswing Coral Tree Billy Buttons Birdsville Indigo Blue Pincushion Bush Banana Callistemon Callitris drummondii (Drummond’s Cypress Pine) Calothamnus quadrifidus Cape Honeysuckle Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) Cattle Bush Common Heath Crotalaria Darwinia wittwerorum (Wittwer’s Mountain Bell) Daviesia oppositifolia (Rattle-pea) Desert Oaks Drumsticks Eremophila Eucalyptus Ficus Flannel Cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum) Georges Indigo Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting Goodenia Gossypium Grass and Grasses Grass Trees Grevillea Grey Germander Hakea Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica) Lambertia sp Leptospermum MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Maireana scleroptera Mexican Poppy Minnie Daisy Mistletoe Family Nardoo Native Apricot Nicotiana megalosiphon subspecies sessilifolia Nuytsia floribunda Orange Spade Flower Orchidaceae Parakeelyas (Calandrinia) Pebble Bush (Stylobasium spathulatum) Perennial Yellow Top Pink Everlasting Pink Rock Wort Poached Egg Daisy Portulaca Proteaceae Ptilotus Quandong Resurrection Fern Rosy Dock Ruby Saltbush Santalum Solanum Spike Centaury Spinifex Storkbill (Erodum cygnorum) Striped Mint Bush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tall Saltbush Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Tribulus eichlerianus Upside-down Plant Urodon dasyphylla Variable Daisy Waratah (Telopea) Wertabona Daisy White Cedar (Melia azedarach) White Indigo White Paper Daisy Wild Passionfruit Wild Stock Woolly-Headed Burr Daisy Woolly Bush Yellow-keeled Swainsona