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alpine avens, Ross' avens, slender stem avens

bent avens

Habit Plants subscapose. Plants leafy-stemmed.
Stems

4–28 cm, glabrous or downy, hairs to 1 mm, sometimes septate-glandular.

50–84 cm, sparsely hirsute proximally, hirsute distally.

Leaves

basal 3–13 cm, blade pinnate to interruptedly pinnate, major leaflets 13–26, alternating with 0–14 minor ones, terminal leaflet slightly larger than major laterals;

cauline 0.7–2 cm, stipules adnate to leaf, indistinguishable from pair of lobes, blade bractlike, not resembling basal, alternate, simple, pinnatifid to 3-fid.

basal 14–30 cm, blade interruptedly lyrate-pinnate, major leaflets 1–5, mixed with 2–5 minor ones, terminal leaflet slightly to much larger than major laterals;

cauline 4–12 cm, stipules ± free, 7–20 × 4–8 mm, blade pinnate, 3-foliolate, or simple and 3-lobed.

Inflorescences

1–3(–4)-flowered.

5–15-flowered.

Pedicels

woolly, sometimes glandular.

densely pilose, some hairs septate-glandular.

Flowers

erect;

epicalyx bractlets 1.5–7 mm;

hypanthium green, slightly purple-tinged to strongly purple;

sepals erect to erect-spreading, 3–10 mm;

petals spreading, yellow, obovate to nearly orbiculate, 5–12(–17) mm, longer than sepals, apex broadly rounded to irregularly emarginate.

nodding;

epicalyx bractlets 2.5–3 mm;

hypanthium green with purple tinge at base to greenish maroon;

sepals erect to erect-spreading, 5–8 mm;

petals erect, white, pink, or lavender, spatulate-obovate, 5–7 mm, ± equal to sepals, apex rounded, truncate, or shallowly emarginate.

Fruiting tori

sessile, glabrous.

sessile, densely bristly.

Fruiting styles

wholly persistent, not geniculate-jointed, 2–5(–10) mm, apex not hooked, glabrous throughout or pilose only at base.

geniculate-jointed, proximal segment persistent, 2–4.5 mm, apex hooked, septate-glandular hairs on basal 1/2, distal segment very tardily deciduous, 5–8 mm, pilose except apical 1–2 mm, with some glandular hairs.

2n

= 56.

Geum rossii

Geum geniculatum

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Alpine and arctic tundra, rocky slopes, often in gravelly or peaty soil Mountain balds, seeps, stream banks, cliffs, wooded boulder fields
Elevation 0–4000 m (0–13100 ft) 1600–1900 m (5200–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; NT; NU; YT; Greenland; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NC; TN
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The variability accommodated here in Geum rossii was distributed by earlier monographers such as P. A. Rydberg (1913b) and F. Bolle (1933) among a half dozen species. W. Gajewski (1957) reduced them to two species, G. rossii and G. turbinatum; most recent taxonomists have recognized the two taxa as subspecies or varieties of a single species. The large geographic discontinuity between the Rocky Mountain and arctic ranges makes it easy for those wishing to follow this tradition. No one morphologic character or combination of characters neatly separates the arctic plants from those of the Rockies.

Where their ranges overlap in Alaska, Geum rossii hybridizes with G. calthifolium to form sterile plants known as G. ×macranthum (Kearney ex Rydberg) B. Boivin; see discussion under 4. G. schofieldii.

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

Of conservation concern.

Geum geniculatum is enigmatic and is currently known from 15 populations in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. As a rare plant, it has attracted far less attention than G. radiatum, which is also known from the same region. Although G. geniculatum is not listed federally as endangered or threatened, it is listed as threatened by North Carolina and as endangered by Tennessee.

W. Gajewski (1957) speculated that Geum geniculatum is a hybrid, with one of the parents being G. rivale. K. R. Robertson (1974) pointed out that the nearest locality for G. rivale is in West Virginia and that pollen stainability of G. geniculatum is very high. Geum geniculatum may be of hybrid origin; it cannot be a first-generation hybrid. North American taxonomists have treated it as a valid species.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 63. FNA vol. 9, p. 65.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Colurieae > Geum Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Colurieae > Geum
Sibling taxa
G. aleppicum, G. calthifolium, G. canadense, G. geniculatum, G. glaciale, G. laciniatum, G. macrophyllum, G. peckii, G. radiatum, G. rivale, G. schofieldii, G. triflorum, G. urbanum, G. vernum, G. virginianum
G. aleppicum, G. calthifolium, G. canadense, 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 Sieversia rossii, Acomastylis rossii, G. rossii var. depressum, G. rossii var. turbinatum, G. turbinatum, S. gracilipes
Name authority (R. Brown) Seringe: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 553. (1825) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 300. (1803)
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