Geum canadense (White avens)

FloraFinder uses cookies only for correct operation. More info. Okay

Geum canadense Jacq.

White avens

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Geum	An ancient Latin name used by Pliny for this group
Species	canadense	“From Canada”

About plant names...

White avens are North American native plants. They are members of the rose family.

Plants: 18-30" (45-76 cm) tall. Lower stems have coarse hairs and a brownish color, becoming softer-haired and lighter in color toward the top.

Leaves: Lobed, looking a bit like a rounded maple leaf, or sometimes split into three separate leaflets like strawberry leaves. The basal leaves are trifoliate. They have long stems (petioles), and they are toothed, with sharp or rounded teeth.

Flowers: White, with five rather sparse-looking, rounded petals appearing between a five-pointed green star of sepals. The sepals are shorter than the petals.

Fruits: Burlike in appearance, like a little ball of velcro, though if you take a close look, the tips of the achenes, though bent, are not hooked to hitch a ride the way burs are. The fruits are the most easily noticed features of this plant, perched atop long stems.

These are closely similar:

6/14/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3 × 2½" (8.3 × 6.7 cm)

7/29/2023 · By Jacquelyn Boyt

6/26/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 7" (22 × 18 cm)

	You are here Geum canadense
Common Name	white avens
Plant	18-30" (45-76 cm) tall. Lower stems have coarse hairs and a brownish color, becoming softer-haired and lighter in color toward the top.
Flowers	White, with five rather sparse-looking, rounded petals appearing between a five-pointed green star of sepals. The sepals are *shorter than the petals*.
Leaves	Lobed, looking a bit like a rounded maple leaf, or sometimes split into three separate leaflets like strawberry leaves. The basal leaves are trifoliate. They have long stems (petioles), and they are toothed, with sharp or rounded teeth.
Fruit	Burlike in appearance, like a little ball of velcro, though if you take a close look, the tips of the achenes, though bent, are not hooked to hitch a ride the way burs are. The fruits are the most easily noticed features of this plant, perched atop long stems.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Moist woods and thickets
Type	Wild
Occurrence	Common