Wikimedia Commons
Rosaceae
Wood Avens
Geum urbanum
Protection from harm.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Geum
- Native to
- Europe, western Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 1-2 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- moist, fertile
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Medieval Europeans hung the roots in doorways to ward off evil spirits and venomous snakes.
- The roots smell strongly of cloves and were once used to flavor ale and Augsburg beer.
- Its hooked seedheads cling to passing animals — an early inspiration for the mechanism of Velcro alongside burdock.
- The species name 'urbanum' means 'of the town,' reflecting its love of disturbed ground.
- Pope Pius V mandated wood avens as a heraldic symbol of Christian virtue in 1568.
Color meanings
0
blessing
1
vigilance