Western Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Geum macrophyllum Wilid.
- Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
- Flowering: June-August
- Field Marks: All species of Geum have pinnately divided leaves and round, spiny fruits. This one differs from all others by its yellow flowers and its extremely large terminal part of the basal leaves.
- Habitat: Along streams, in moist woods.
- Habit: Perennial herb with a short, thick rootstock and narrow stolons.
- Stems: Upright, up to 2 feet tall, usually unbranched, with spreading hairs, some of which may be gland-tipped.
- Leaves: Basal leaves pinnately divided, up to 12 inches long, the terminal segment much larger than the lateral segments, with spreading hairs; stem leaves deeply 3-lobed or divided into 3 leaflets, smaller than the basal leaves, with spreading
- Flowers: Several in cymes, each flower on a sometimes glandular stalk.
- Sepals: 5, green, up to 1/4 inch long, turned downward, hairy, sometimes glandular.
- Petals: 5, free from each other, yellow, up to 1/3 inch long.
- Stamens: Numerous.
- Pistils: Several, free from each other.
- Fruits: Spherical, up to nearly 1 inch in diameter, consisting of several achenes, each achene elliptic, flattened, up to 1/6 inch long, with the persistent style forming a terminal spine, the entire head appearing prickly.
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