Definition

Noun: 1. A common name for the plant Erodium cicutarium: A flowering plant, also known as redstem filaree or common storksbill, characterized by its fern-like leaves, small pink to lavender flowers, and distinctive long, slender fruit pods that resemble a pin or a stork's bill.

Usage Notes

• "Pin grass" is primarily a common name used in specific regions, especially in parts of North America where the plant has been naturalized. In botanical and more general contexts, names like filaree or storksbill are more widely recognized.
• It functions as a countable noun (e.g., , ).

Examples

• The field was covered in pin grass after the spring rains.
• Pin grass is often considered a weed in cultivated areas.
• The seed pods of pin grass twist as they dry, helping the seed drill into the soil.

Advanced Usage

• The name "pin grass" is a direct reference to the appearance of its fruit. The slender, beak-like fruit pod is said to resemble a pin.

Variants and Related Words

• Filaree (n): The most common regional name for this plant, especially in the southwestern United States.
• Storksbill (n): Another common name, referring to the shape of the fruit pod which resembles a stork's bill.
• Alfilaria (n): A variant spelling and name derived from Spanish.
• Erodium cicutarium (n): The formal botanical/Latin name for the species.

Synonyms

• Redstem filaree
• Common storksbill
• (Regional) Clockweed (referring to the twisting motion of the seed pod)

Notes on Different Meanings

• The term "pin grass" is highly specific and refers only to this particular species of plant () or its close relatives within the genus. It does not have other unrelated meanings in standard English.

Noun

1. European weed naturalized in southwestern United States and Mexico having reddish decumbent stems with small fernlike leaves and small deep reddish-lavender flowers followed by slender fruits that stick straight up; often grown for forage