Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Rosales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Geum vernum
FAMILY
Rosaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Spring Avens at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Geum vernum
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 9 (2014)
Geum vernum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-07-005:
Geum vernum FAMILY Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Stylypus vernus
COMMON NAME:
Spring Avens, Heartleaf Avens
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_geve_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_geve_004_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm150423_629
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1/4" yellowish flowers, with petals nearly as short as the reflexed sepals, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
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JK Marlow jkm150423_636
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm150423_640
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Head of achenes elevated above the calyx on a 1-2mm stipe, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
COMPARE
fruit of Galium, Geum and Sanicula species
)
JK Marlow jkm150423_644
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm150423_645
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Most leaves dissected into pinnate segments that are deeply incised, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm160421_290
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The presence of a stalk between the calyx and the achene head is diagnostic, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmgvernum_swain1b
May Swain County NC
Similar to G. canadense but flowers are yellow or cream, about 0.3" wide, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Geum vernum
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Geum vernum
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 9
Geum vernum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 097-07-005:
Geum vernum
FAMILY
Rosaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Stylypus vernus
2482
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: seepages, swamps, roadsides, disturbed areas, probably both native and introduced in our area, the native occurrences now being supplemented by its spread along roads from farther west, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas
Uncommon in NC Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Basal and lower stem leaves pinnately dissected or compound, the lateral divisions often again dissected
Basal rosette & alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellowish
Radially symmetrical
5-lobed calyx/5 bracts
5 petals
25-35 stamens
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p265
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p117
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p148
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p068
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
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