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benoîte du Canada, white avens

caltha-leaf avens

Habit Plants leafy-stemmed. Plants subscapose.
Stems

30–100 cm, glabrate to downy, hairs to 1.5 mm, sometimes glandular.

8–40 cm, sparsely hirsute proximally, puberulent throughout.

Leaves

basal 10–25 cm, blade simple or pinnate, major leaflets 3–5, plus 0–4 minor basal ones, terminal leaflet larger than major laterals;

cauline 3–8 cm, stipules ± free, 4–13 × 1–7 mm, blade 3-foliolate or simple and 3-lobed to unlobed.

basal 5–25 cm, blade strongly lyrate-pinnate, sometimes simple, major leaflet 1, minor leaflets 1–7, terminal leaflet much larger than minor laterals;

cauline 1.5–4.5 cm, stipules not evident, blade bractlike, not resembling basal, simple.

Inflorescences

3–15-flowered.

1–2(–4)-flowered.

Pedicels

densely hairy, hairs of varying lengths, few long stiff ones, sometimes glandular.

downy, hirsute, eglandular.

Flowers

erect;

epicalyx bractlets 0.5–1.5 mm;

hypanthium green;

sepals spreading but soon reflexed, 3–6 mm;

petals spreading, white, obovate to oblong, (3–)4–8 mm, ± equal to or slightly longer than sepals, apex rounded.

erect;

epicalyx bractlets 2–6 mm;

hypanthium green or green with slight maroon tinge;

sepals erect-spreading, 6–11 mm;

petals spreading, yellow, obcordate-obdeltate to nearly orbiculate, 9–13 mm, longer than sepals, apex broadly and shallowly emarginate.

Fruiting tori

sessile, densely bristly, hairs 1–2.3 mm.

sessile, glabrous.

Fruiting styles

geniculate-jointed, proximal segment persistent, 2–8 mm, apex hooked, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy or stipitate-glandular, distal segment deciduous, 1–2 mm, pilose in basal 1/2, hairs much longer than diam. of style.

wholly persistent, not geniculate-jointed, 9–14 mm, apex not hooked, pilose in basal 3/4, eglandular.

2n

= 42.

= 42.

Geum canadense

Geum calthifolium

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Lowlands and upland forests, meadows, along streams, thickets, bottomland hardwoods, swamps Muskegs, moist meadows, heathlands, moist sites on rocky slopes, ledges, and cliffs
Elevation 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; Mexico (Chiapas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties and forms have been described in an effort to classify the variation encompassed in Geum canadense. In the eastern half of the United States, it is by far the most common, widespread, and variable of the Geum species. Nearly all writers of recent floras have not found it worthwhile to apply names to the variants. Perhaps the most distinctive and worthy of further consideration are plants from the southwestern corner of the range in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. These plants, some of which fit Fernald and Weatherby’s description of var. texanum, bloom from late March through May, significantly earlier than the rest of the species, which typically flowers after June first, even in the other southern states.

Geum canadense hybridizes with G. urbanum (= G. ×catlingii J.-P. Bernard & R. Gauthier); see discussion under 15. G. urbanum.

Geum album J. F. Gmelin is a superfluous name that pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Geum calthifolium hybridizes with G. rossii [= G. ×macranthum (Kearney ex Rydberg) B. Boivin]; see discussion under 4. G. schofieldii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 68. FNA vol. 9, p. 64.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Colurieae > Geum Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Colurieae > Geum
Sibling taxa
G. aleppicum, G. calthifolium, G. geniculatum, G. glaciale, G. laciniatum, G. macrophyllum, G. peckii, G. radiatum, G. rivale, G. rossii, G. schofieldii, G. triflorum, G. urbanum, G. vernum, G. virginianum
G. aleppicum, G. canadense, G. geniculatum, G. glaciale, G. laciniatum, G. macrophyllum, G. peckii, G. radiatum, G. rivale, G. rossii, G. schofieldii, G. triflorum, G. urbanum, G. vernum, G. virginianum
Synonyms G. camporum, G. canadense var. brevipes, G. canadense var. camporum, G. canadense var. grimesii, G. canadense var. texanum
Name authority Jacquin: Hort. Bot. Vindob. 2: 82, plate 175. 1772–1773 Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 16: Geum no. 13. (1810)
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