This plant is common and sticks out in the bush, but I cannot figure what it is. It seems either a anemone or ranunculus, considering the difference between the basal leaves (# 3 and 4) and the cauline ones (#2). The achene does not fit any anemone I have found. Thanks in advance Thomas
Hi, It's one of the Avens, part of the Geum genus in Rosaceae. Here I would think G. macrophyllum var. macrophyllum. But usually what I see is that the tip of the style has an extra bit on it that rises at right angles to the very end of what you have pictured. Thus yours could be another species or just a variation within the species. Or perhaps that part drops off in time. :) Photo of G. macrophyllum for a picture depicting the extra bit. I noticed the picture of the seeds on the USDA Plants page ( do a search for Geum macrophyllum*) only have the hook so I must assume that the part drops in time and thus the plant is most likely G. macrophyllum var. macrophyllum. I too looked at the Avens a lot before I figured out they were part of the Rosaceae. :) Harry
Thanks again, Harry. geum macrophyllum looks good. I just can't figure out, how I could have missed the flowering stage, since they seem to bloom yellow. Thomas
Hi Thomas, They do seem to loose their petals almost immediately. Probably drop as soon as the flower is fertilized. You can find some heads with petals and some without on the same plant. I thought I saw a picture on a geum macrophyllum google image search yesterday that showed that too. Also the petals are not necessarily as showy as a ranunculus or a potentilla to begin with. We get another Geum here, Geum triflorum, that has a pretty nondescript flower too. Its seed head is so showy though, that the common name refers to it, prairy smoke. The pictures I took circa 1999. Harry
