geum

Geum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, commonly known as avens. The genus comprises about 60 to 70 species of herbaceous perennials and, less commonly, annuals. Geum species are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with rich diversity in Europe, Asia, and North America, and several cultivated or naturalized elsewhere. They are valued in gardens for their late spring to summer flowers and attractive foliage.

Description and morphology: Geum plants are usually herbaceous perennials, often spreading by creeping rhizomes. Leaves are typically pinnate and may form a basal rosette. Flower stems carry solitary flowers with five petals, though some cultivated forms display double or semi-double blossoms. Petals come in various colors, including yellow (as in Geum urbanum) and pink, red, or white in other species. The fruit is a cluster of achenes on a beak-like stalk.

Habitat and cultivation: Geum species inhabit meadows, woodlands, damp banks, and stream margins; many are robust in temperate gardens. They prefer sunny to partly shaded locations and moist, well-drained soil. They are hardy and can be propagated by seed or by division of the rhizomes, usually in spring or after flowering.

Notable species and cultivation: Geum urbanum (wood avens) and Geum rivale (water avens) are common in wild habitats; Geum triflorum, known as prairie smoke, is native to North America and features distinctive feathery seedheads. There are numerous garden cultivars selected for a range of flower colors and forms.