Common Stork's-bill is a prostrate plant of open sandy or stony ground. It has 5 unequal petals, usually rose-purple in colour, but they may be lilac or white.
The fruits are very long and beak-like, with 5 segments which twist explosively when ripe to disperse the seeds. The spiral corkscrew-like stigma remains attached to the seed, and once rehydration occurs, this screws the seed into the soil ready for germination.