Geum macrophyllum (Large-Leaf Avens) - photos and description

 

 

 

 


Tips of styles hooked; and styles glandular hairy.


Tips of styles hooked; and styles glandular hairy.


Basal leaf in above photo. 


Stem leaf in above photo.

Origin: Native.

General: Robust plants with stems rough hairy to touch.

Flowers: Flowers yellow, divarcately branched (widely spreading), we measured flowers to 16 mm diameter. Styles with hooked ends, the bottom half of styles are glandular hairy.

Leaves:  Basal leaves with terminal segment not sharply incised, and whose base is cordate or truncate and not cuneate (not wedge-shaped). We measured the terminal segment of the basal leaf highlighted above at 6.5 cm long by 9 cm wide. Stem leaves nearly 3-parted, each lobe with a wedge-shaped base. The stem leaf highlighted above was 7 cm wide by 6.5 cm long. Stem leaves are alternate and have stipules. Top of leaves with a few long hairs, bottom of leaves with long hairs along nerves.

Height: Height not given in Budd's Flora or Flora of Alberta. We measured plants to 80 cm tall.

Habitat: Moist meadows and open woods.

Abundance: Common.

Synonym: Listed in some of the field guides we use as G. perincisum.

Similar species: Very similar to G. aleppicum.  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: The above photos were taken on June 22nd, bottom of shady ravine, Cypress Hills, about 400 km southwest of our home in Regina, SK.