Nature Notes - The Mallorca Pages

Geraniales
 

Lower flower c 11 mm across at widest Geranium rotundifolium = Round-leaved Cranesbill. Leaves very similar to G molle

Geranium molle = Dovesfoot Cranesbill

Flower (not fully open) c 5.5 mm across Geranium dissectum = Cut-leaved Cranesbill

Geranium lucidum = Shining Cranesbill

Geranium purpureum = Little Robin

Erodium chium = Chios Storksbill

Face-on flower c 1.7 cm across at widest Erodium malacoides = Mallow-leaved Storksbill

Erodium cicutarium = Common Storksbill Basal rosette only found, leaf from it shown

Erodium moschatum = Musk Storksbill

Several members of the Geranium family were common on walls and roadsides.  Geranium purpureum was particularly abundant on walls, and is very similar to our own Herb Robert (G robertianum), but larger and with purple rather than red on the leaves and stems.  Pre-flowering rosettes of G purpureum on rocks in the woods, though, looked exactly like those of Herb Robert which are so familiar in our own woods.  The other four Geranium species shown all occurred on roadsides and waste ground.  The only Mallorcan Geranium sp I did not see was G columbinum.

Storksbills were also common, particularly Erodium malacoides, often on walls with G purpureum.  E chium has similar leaves and was only positively identified on a couple of occasions.  E moschatum was found once, by the roadside in a cultivated area, and a leaf-rosette of E cicutarium was found on bare ground near the sea.  E reichardii and E ciconium were not found.

The alien Bermuda Buttercup is a troublesome weed in Mallorca, common in cultivated ground and also on walls and roadsides.  A double-flowered form is quite frequent.  The leaves are similar to those of Wood Sorrel, but with leaflets more deeply notched.

Furthest right flower c 2.8 cm long
Oxalis pes-caprae = Bermuda Buttercup (not native).  Picture on right shows double-flowered form