Geum macrophyllum

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Large-Leaved Avens
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Geum
Species:
G. macrophyllum
Binomial name
Geum macrophyllum
Varieties
  • G. m. var. macrophyllum
  • G. m. var. perincisum
Geum macrophyllum in fruit

Geum macrophyllum, commonly known as largeleaf avens or large-leaved avens,[2] is a perennial flowering plant native to Kamchatka, northern and central Japan, and North America, where it occurs from the Arctic south through the northern United States, extending along the Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevadas of California and as far south as Northwestern Mexico.[3]

It is even more distinctive in fruit than in flower, with spiky spheres of reddish styles.[4] The fruits are a ball of tiny velcro like hooks that catch on clothing and animal hair.

Description

The flowers and fruit of Geum macrophyllum

Geum macrophyllum is a perennial herb in the rose family (Rosaceae) characterized by a basal rosette of long-stalked, pinnately compound leaves with several toothed leaflets and an upright flowering stem arising from a short rhizome. The stem is typically slender and somewhat hairy, bearing smaller, less divided leaves higher up and ending in a loose cluster of small yellow, five-petaled flowers with numerous stamens and separate pistils. After flowering, it produces a distinctive spherical aggregate of achene fruits, each with a long, hooked style that aids in dispersal by attaching to animals.[5]

Uses

The Squamish make a diuretic tea out of the leaves. The Haida make a steam bath with boiled roots to treat rheumatic pain. Some tribes use the plant in eyewashes, to treat stomach ailments, and to aid childbirth.[6]

Genome

The plant's chloroplast genome was published in 2021. The genome is 155,940 base pairs long and contains 129 genes involved in photosynthesis and other basic cell functions. Its structure is similar to that of most flowering plants, with large and small single-copy regions separated by two repeated sections. Genetic analysis showed that G. macrophyllum is closely related to Geum triflorum within the Rosaceae family.[7]

References

  1. "Geum macrophyllum Largeleaf Avens". NatureServe. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. "Geum macrophyllum Willd". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  4. Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and the John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
  5. Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, ed. (2014). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. British Columbia Ministry of Forests. ISBN 978-1-77213-008-9.
  6. Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC 1073035766.
  7. Li, Qin-Qin; Wen, Jun (2021). "The complete chloroplast genome of Geum macrophyllum (Rosaceae: Colurieae)". Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 6 (2). Taylor & Francis: 297–298. doi:10.1080/23802359.2020.1861562. PMC 7872518.

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