Water Avens Geum rivale

Color Photograph: USDA, NRCS, 1997 - Northeastern Wetlands Flora. Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Water Avens (Geum rivale L.) Identification: Flowers purple to red-purple. Sepals fused in a globular container with 5 projecting, sharp-pointed sepal lobes. Fruit without long, feathery hairs. Flowers usually in groups of 3. Leaves on stem with 3 toothed leaflets. Lower leaves pinnately compound with more than 3 leaflets. Apical leaflet very large and broad relative to other leaflets. Opposite large pairs of leaflets intermixed with small pairs. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height. Distribution: Across Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia. South in the east to Minnesota, West Virginia, and New Jersey, in the west to Colorado. Also native of Europe and Asia. Habitat: Water Avens is found in bogs, swamps, and wet meadows. Flowering period: May to August. Similar Species: Water Avens might be mistaken for Long-plumed Purple Avens because of the purple, globular flower. However the structure of the lower leaves is very different. In addition the fruits of Long-plumed Purple Avens have extremely long, feathery hairs.

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