Erodium moschatum (L.) L'Hér., Geraniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Geranium cicutarium var. moschatum L.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: crowfoot, ground-needles, musk stork's-bill, musk-clover, muskus-grass, musky crowfoot, musky erodium, musky herons's-bill, musky stork's-bill, white-stem filaree

Spanish: alfilerillo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual, at first stemless, later usually with several stems, extremely variable in size according to habitat, from prostrate to c. 60 cm high and c. 1 m across, densely glandular and ± musk-scented. Leaves to c. 30 cm long, pinnate, with petiole sometimes = leaf rachis. Leaflets sessile, pinnately lobed; lobes ± ovate, serrate. Stipules broad-ovate or suborbicular, membranous, silvery, obtuse. Umbels c. 12-flowered; bracts broad, membranous, obtuse; peduncles and pedicels densely glandular, < to slightly > calyx at anthesis. Sepals 4.5-6 mm long, lanceolate-oblong, densely glandular, mucronate. Petals 4.5-8 mm long, pink or mauve-pink; claw very short; limb ± elliptic-oblong, sometimes almost obovate. Stamens 3-4 mm long; filaments widened at base, white or pink, usually with a small membranous tooth on 1 or both sides, rarely without teeth; anthers dark purple. Staminodes lanceolate. Fruit beak 3-3.5 cm long, puberulent. Mericarps densely hirsute with hairs of differing length; apical pits prominently glandular, with 1 broad, glabrous furrow beneath"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 725).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand, "roadsides, railways, waste places, building sites, quarries, riverbeds, lawns and pastures, and cultivated ground; lowlands throughout, common"  (Webb et al., 1988; p. 725).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. Humid areas, with almost constant rainfall, short dry periods are possible (generally not longer than 1 month); somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter. Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canary and Madeira Islands, northern Africa, Europe, western Asia; widely naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) "An occasional weed". Vouchers cited: R.M. Laing(CHR); I. Robinson (NSW); J.D. McComish 198 (NSW)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 553)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) "Widely naturalized in disturbed sites".
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 185)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 725)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Erodium moschatum, please let us know.