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Rosaceae
Water Avens
Geum rivale
Nodding grace beside still water.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Geum
- Native to
- Northern Hemisphere, Europe, North America, Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 1-2 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- moist to wet, humus-rich
- Water
- high
- Hardiness
- 3-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Water avens flowers are nodding and bell-shaped — the petals droop downward to protect pollen from rain, while the drooping habit forces visiting bumblebees to hang upside down to access nectar, dusting their undersides.
- The botanical name 'rivale' comes from the Latin 'rivus' (stream) — a perfect description of the plant's preferred habitat on the banks of streams, fens, and wet meadows throughout the boreal zone.
- Water avens hybridizes naturally with wood avens (Geum urbanum) wherever the two species co-occur, producing a fertile hybrid called Geum × intermedium with flowers intermediate between both parents.
- The roots contain a eugenol-rich essential oil with a clove-like scent; in medieval brewing, water avens root was added to ale as a flavoring and preservative before hops became the standard bittering agent.
- The hooked seed heads are adapted for dispersal in animal fur and were one of the inspirations for George de Mestral's study of burr-type adhesion that eventually led to the invention of Velcro in the 1940s.
Color meanings
0
grace
1
resilience
2
quiet beauty