Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Largeleaf Avens
Geum macrophyllum
Rose family (Rosaceae)

Geums with yellow flowers may be confused with Cinquefoils (Potentilla ) and they have at time all been grouped together. We now say that Geum species have a divided into an upper and lower part, hairy ovaries, flowers that are cup-like rather than nearly flat, and leaves that are commonly narrow at the base and broad at the tip. They also have tailed (long-styled) . Geum aleppicum and G. macrophyllum are similar species: they grow in similar habitats but G. aleppicum also grows at somewhat lower altitudes and it has no or few hairs at the base of its versus hairs; it has a about the same size as the other versus a much larger ; and it has leaf bases that are gradually tapered versus rounded. "Geum" is a name of ancient Greek origin.


©2014 Yan Soucie, Steve Sullivan

Description

, 1-2' tall. to , , divided into 5-9 , with smaller interspersed between larger . significantly larger than others. Stem , smaller, often 3-parted, stalkless, with leaf-like . Bright yellow flowers, in loose clusters, comprised of 5 broad petals and 5 that are sharp-pointed and bent backward. are with long hooks (the ).

Field Marks

Bright yellow flower of 5 petals and 5 sharp-pointed .

© Al Schneider

style -- This is a long and thread-like structure that connects the stigma with the ovary. A flower may have a single style, or several of them.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.

achene -- a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. For example, a rose hip holds a few achenes.

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

sp. -- The abbreviation for "species". The plural is "spp". When used it sometimes means that the exact species is unknown. For example, "Aster sp." would mean some species within the Aster genus but the writer may not know exactly which species.

ovate -- Oval, egg-shaped, with a tapering point.

Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom.

terminal -- Located at the end (the tip or the apex).

Glands are plant structures that secrete liquids, salts or other substances. Glands often appear as hairs with a drop of liquid at the end.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

pinnate -- A compound leaf with two rows of leaflets.

leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

basal leaves -- a leaf that grows lowest on the stem of a plant.

cordate -- heart-shaped.
subcordate -- somewhat heart-shaped.

alternate -- leaves alternate along the main stem and are attached singly.

leaflets -- Each little leaf-like thing in a compound leaf is a leaflet.

stipule -- A leaf-like structure that occurs where the leaf joins the stem; stipules often occur in pairs.