Geum aleppicum (Yellow Avens) - photos and description

 

 

 

 

 

 


Lower half of styles with long hairs, but not glandular hairy.


Basal leaf in above photo, end leaflet incised into 3 lobes and with a cuneate base.


Basal leaf in above photo, end leaflet incised into 3 lobes and with a cuneate base.


Stem leaf in above photo.

Origin: Native.

General: Robust perennial with an upright growth habit. Stems pubescent.

Flowers: Flowers yellow, in a widely branching cluster, flower measured at 19 mm wide. Styles have hooked ends. The bottom half of styles with long hairs, but never glandular hairy (as in G. macrophyllum).

Leaves: Terminal segment of basal leaves 3-lobed, and with a cuneate (wedge-shaped) base. Basal leaves lyrate, in the basal leaf highlighted in photo above the terminal lobe was 11 cm long by 10.5 cm wide. Stem leaves 3-foliate, serrate, stem leaf highlighted in photo above was 12.5 cm long and 18 cm wide. Stems leaves with short petioles, alternate. Leaf tops and margins with long hairs, leaf bottoms hairy on nerves.

Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 120 cm, we measured plants to 104 cm tall.

Habitat: Moist meadows and woods.

Abundance: Common.

Similar species: Very similar to G. macrophyllum. I find if difficult to distinguish between the two particularly when the end leaflet of the basal leaves does not clearly have the characteristics of one species or the other. The differences between the species:

- Styles glandular hairy or not. The styles of G. macrophyllum are glandular hairy, those of G. aleppicum are not.

- Shape of terminal leaflet of basal leaf. In G. macrophyllum it is not sharply incised into 3 lobes, and has its base truncate or cordate. In G. aleppicum it is sharply incised into 3 lobes and is cuneate at its base.

- Upper leaves fully 3-foliate in G. aleppicum, upper leaves 3-parted in G. macrophyllum (Taxonomic Reminder for Recognizing Saskatchewan Plants). 

When and where photographed: Photos taken July 3rd, shady, wet bottom of ravine in aspen woods, Fairy Hill, about 30 km north of our home in Regina, SK.