Nearctica - Eastern Wildflowers - Rosaceae - Yellow Avens (Geum aleppicum)

Yellow Avens

(Geum aleppicum)

Color Photograph: Paul Jackson, Cedar Creek Natural History Area, LTER, U.S. Dept. Energy and National Science Foundation.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Yellow Avens (Geum aleppicum Jacq.)

Identification: Flowers yellow with 5 broad petals and numerous stamens. Flowers solitary at the ends of branches. Stem hairy. Upper leaves most commonly with 3 irregular leaflets. Lower leaves with multiple, irregular leaflets, larger leaflets sometimes interspersed with small leaflets. Plant 2 to 5 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America except for the south-central United States.

Habitat: Yellow Avens is most commonly found in swamps, low ground, and thickets.

Flowering period: June to August.

Similar Species: The lower leaves of Large-leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum) (not treated here) has a very large terminal leaflet. The lower leaves of Mountain Avens consist almost entirely of a single rounded terminal leaflet with only a few highly reduced lateral leaflets.