Erodium malacoides
Mediterranean filaree
(c) Marios Thoma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Geraniaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Erodium malacoides (Mediterranean filaree) is a non-native California herb in the Geraniaceae family, recognized by simple heart-shaped leaves, glandular nodes and fruit, shortest style column.
Mediterranean filaree is a naturalized annual herb found in northern San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and southern California coastal regions in open sites, grasslands, and scrub habitats at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from February to July, this plant produces pink to purple flowers with darker veined bases, each petal approximately equal in length to the bristly-tipped sepals. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall and covered in short puberulent hairs, it has distinctively glandular nodes. Its leaves are simple and ovate to oblong, typically 4 to 15 centimeters long, with cordate bases, crenate to shallowly lobed margins, and short appressed hairs covering the surface. The distinctive fruit develops a 3 to 5 millimeter body with round pits and a long style column reaching 2 to 3 centimeters.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 6 sympatric species; simple heart-shaped leaves, glandular nodes and fruit, shortest style column
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sites, grassland, scrub
Elevation: < 500 m
Outside California: native to southern Europe
Bloom period
Erodium malacoides blooms Feb-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Geranium: Erodium leaves are pinnately divided like a feather; Geranium leaves are palmately divided like spread fingers.; vs Phacelia: Erodium has umbrella-like flower clusters and long-beaked fruits; Phacelia has coiled flower clusters and rounded capsules.; vs Malva: Erodium has pinnately-divided leaves and 5 petals; Malva has palmately-lobed leaves and many stamens fused in a column.; vs Sisyrinchium: Erodium has feathery divided leaves and pink umbel flowers; Sisyrinchium has grasslike leaves and blue-purple iris-like flowers.; vs Pelargonium: Erodium is herbaceous with pinnately-divided leaves; Pelargonium is shrubby with asymmetrical flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Erodium malacoides native to California?
No. Erodium malacoides is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Erodium malacoides bloom?
Erodium malacoides blooms Feb-Jul.
What plant family does Erodium malacoides belong to?
Erodium malacoides is in the Geraniaceae family, genus Erodium.
What habitat does Erodium malacoides grow in?
Erodium malacoides grows in Open sites, grassland, scrub.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.