Geraniaceae

Geranium Family

Filarees

FAMILY: Geranium family (Geraniaceae) – Erodium genus.

SPECIES: #1 redstem filaree, alfilaria, stork’s bill, crane’s bill, or heron’s bill (Erodium cicutarium (L.) L’Hér. ex Aiton). #2 Texas, tufted, or bull filaree (Erodium texanum A. Gray).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: The roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of redstem filaree are edible fresh or cooked. Meal-size portions generally require cooking to minimize bitterness. Redstem filaree is well adapted to the Southwest and grows just about everywhere, often carpeting the ground from sea level to 2,500 meters elevation. It’s tolerant of shade, drought, fire, and trampling, and is accustomed to many soil types including some of the worst: sand, gravel, disturbed, compacted, and low nutrient. The deep green patches among creosote shrubs are often redstem filaree.

Roots of redstem filaree are white inside and out. They make an excellent vegetable, especially when growing in prime locations that simulate agricultural conditions. Harder soils usually produce wiry roots of mediocre quality. Better-quality roots have thick fleshy portions that taste earthy, salty, and similar to potatoes. Cores are usually stringy even in the best roots. Filaree roots are free of bitterness. Thorough rinsing eliminates most of the earthy flavor. Baking or boiling shouldn’t take very long, about 10 to 15 minutes. Neither method softens the cores, but outer portions become mushy. Simmering yields a hearty broth. Redstem filaree roots are one of the best ingredients for soups or stews. Raw consumption is also an option.

Stems of redstem filaree make an excellent vegetable. Main portions immediately above the roots are mild, tender, solid, and fleshy. They’re free of fibrous strings and lack the astringency found in the leaves. Filaree stems are more similar to the roots than the leaves. Small size is about the only problem they have.

Leaves of redstem filaree are nutritious, but they’re also replete with tannins. When eaten fresh, they taste similar to dark-green lettuce combined with wild clovers, along with plenty of bitterness and a character unique to members of the geranium family. The texture is somewhat hairy, gritty, and unappealing. Thorough rinsing is important to remove any soil these leaves tend to attract. Consuming amounts larger than a garnish requires boiling. After boiling, astringency dissipates, and the flavor becomes mild. Filaree leaves make excellent potherbs, available almost throughout the year.

Flowers and flower buds of redstem filaree taste better than the leaves and offer a brief burst of sweetness that’s quickly subdued by the blander sepals. Tiny hairs covering the various parts don’t pose any problems, but they are responsible for the raspy texture. Flower stalks are reasonably tender, and free of stringy fibers that make the stalks of other plants impossible to chew.

Fruits of redstem filaree are initially green and tender. When young, they can be included with other parts in soups or stews. Older fruits become tough, inedible, and dangerously sharp-tipped. Cooking won’t soften the tips of older fruits. They need to be removed and discarded.

Texas filaree tastes essentially the same as redstem filaree, but only the leaves are reported to be edible. All the parts taste reasonably mild after preparation. Aboveground parts, except for the mature fruits, are completely chewable. Roots are also chewable, except for the tough cores. Leaf surfaces typically have hairs similar to peach fuzz. These hairs don’t pose any problems. Texas filaree leaves make a fine potherb. Finding Texas filaree can be a little more challenging because it’s not as common as redstem filaree, but wherever it grows, it grows abundantly.

NOTES: The genus name Erodium means “heron” and cicutarium means “resembling spotted hemlock.” Confusing redstem filaree with spotted hemlock is highly unlikely, except when the plants are young. Older redstem filaree plants have purple petals or distinctive beak-like fruits that eliminate any chance of misidentification.

IDENTIFICATION: The Erodium genus is represented by about 10 species in the United States, of which only 2 occur in the Southwest, Great Basin, and Rocky Mountains. Both are small plants with pinkish-purple flowers. Filarees have compound pistils, each with 5 carpels. The carpels share a common style with 5 stigmatic lobes. Styles eventually elongate and form the distinctive beaks.

Description of redstem filaree (Erodium cicutarium): FORM small, hairy, annual plant about 4-25 cm tall from a taproot; LEAVES compound; basal and opposite; pinnate with pinnately cut leaflets; surfaces glandular-haired; stipules present; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged in umbels; peduncles well developed; pedicels often bent in fruit; sepals 5, free; petals 5, free, purple, 3-6 mm long, essentially uniform in appearance, and with nectary glands at the bases; pistils 1, compound, and 5-chambered; styles 1, greatly elongating and splitting in fruit; stigmas 5; stamens 10 (5 of them shorter or without anthers); filaments free; FRUITS schizocarps consisting of 5 segments (mericarps) separating from a central stylar column; each segment one-seeded and topped with a long, hairy, spirally-twisted style; HABITAT diverse, from creosote plains to pine forests; blooming February to July.

Description of Texas filaree (Erodium texanum): FORM small, hairy, annual plant about 5-30 cm tall from a taproot; LEAVES simple; basal and opposite; blades with 3-5 lobes; surface rough-haired; stipules present; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged in umbels; peduncles well developed; pedicels often bent in fruit; sepals 5, free; petals 5, free, purple, 5-12 mm long, essentially uniform in appearance, and with nectary glands at the bases; pistils 1, compound, 5-chambered; styles 1, greatly elongating and splitting in fruit; stigmas 5; stamens 10 (5 of them shorter or without anthers); filaments free; FRUITS schizocarps consisting of 5 segments (mericarps) separating from a central stylar column; each segment one-seeded and topped with a long, hairy, spirally twisted style; HABITAT deserts and transition zones; across the Southwest; blooming March to April.

REFERENCES: #1 redstem filaree (Erodium cicutarium): whole plant Brill (p. 245); roots Moerman (p. 112); stems Moerman (p. 112); leaves Moerman (p. 112); flowers Brill (p. 245). #2 Texas filaree (Erodium texanum): leaves Ebeling (p. 836).

Geraniums

FAMILY: Geranium family (Geraniaceae) – Geranium genus.

SPECIES: #1 Richardson’s or white geranium (Geranium richardsonii Fisch. & Trautv.). #2 sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum Fisch. & C. A. Mey.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! Beware of monk’s hood and delphiniums when gathering geraniums. Leaves of these poisonous plants look very similar, but the flowers provide several obvious differences.

According to references cited below, the leaves and flowers of several geraniums are edible. Leaves of white and sticky geraniums are unsuitable for salads due to excessive astringency. Soapy compounds may also be present, but usually in amounts too small to cause problems. When eaten fresh, the leaves taste dry, bitter, and unappealing. They’re best utilized as potherbs. After boiling, they taste reasonably good, except for some persistent bitterness. A second change of cooking water may be necessary. The flavor is similar to green beans combined with elements unique to geraniums. It differs from the majority of grocery store vegetables, so comparing the flavor is difficult. The texture is chewy, nonraspy, and nonfibrous. White and sticky geranium leaves tend to resist chewing, but with enough effort they eventually break apart. Leaf surfaces range from hairless to densely hairy. The hairs may be soft or sticky. Hair features vary greatly between species. Hairs of any type (when present) are unaffected by boiling, but they pose no problems. Chopping the leaves prior to boiling facilitates the elimination of unwanted bitterness and soapy compounds. White and sticky geranium leaves are best cooked alone, as they tend to form wastewater rather than broth. The flowers make an attractive addition to salads and lack the astringency of the leaves. Stems and leafstalks have tough fibers, so these parts are best removed. White and sticky geraniums thrive in the western forests, making them potential staple items, but the scarcity of safety data and lack of references to their edibility are a serious concern.

NOTES: A common southwestern species called purple geranium (G. caespitosum) has characteristics similar to species described above, but this species is not reported to be edible. I tried it along with the others listed above on several occasions from various locations scattered across the Southwest. References to the edibility of geraniums are often for cultivated plants in the Pelargonium genus, commonly known by such names as scented, ivy-leaf, rose, and horseshoe geraniums. These plants do not grow in the wild, at least not in North America. Most of them are indigenous to southern Africa. Despite the abundance of geraniums (of the Geranium genus), they apparently had little or no value as food to Native Americans. They had value as medicine, mainly as astringents, but not as food. Geraniums were used to stop bleeding, heal wounds, heal sores, and relieve diarrhea. My experiences with purple geranium and other wild species suggest they have food value, but the scarcity of references to confirm their edibility suggests otherwise.

IDENTIFICATION: The Geranium genus is represented by about 35 species in the United States, of which only 5-10 are found in the Southwest. Geraniums are easy to recognize as a group, but exact species are challenging to identify. Technical features defining the species are highly variable, especially hair features. Geraniums have unique fruits. Nothing else in the region is likely to be confused with geranium fruits. The styles/stigmas are also called stylodia, style branches, or “free tips of the styles.”

Description of geraniums (the Geranium genus): FORM annual or perennial plants; LEAVES simple; alternate, basal, or opposite; stalks and stipules present; blades generally rounded in outline, palmately lobed, parted, or divided; the lobes commonly 5 and toothed; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged individually or 2-3 in a cluster; sepals 5, usually with or sometimes without awns; petals 5, free, white, pink, or purple, often with conspicuous veins; pistils 1, compound, 5-carpellate; style branches (stylodia) 5; stamens 10, all fertile (bearing anthers) or 5 of them sterile (without anthers); filaments often of unequal length (5 short and 5 long); FRUITS schizocarps consisting of 5 segments (mericarps); these initially united into beak-like columns, and then eventually separating; HABITAT sagebrush, juniper, oak, pine, and aspen communities, woodlands, mountain meadows, often in moist or disturbed areas; throughout the United States, but less common in the central states; blooming April to September.

REFERENCES: Couplan (pp. 314-315) indicates that the leaves of several geraniums are edible (species not specified), and Vizgirdas (p. 92) indicates that the leaves and flowers of most species are edible. #1 white geranium (Geranium richardsonii): leaves Royer (p. 41). #2 sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum): leaves and flowers Tilford (p. 42).