Geum glaciale : Glacier Aven

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Genera: Geum (Avens) (Lat. Ancient latin name for these plants several origins have been suggested.)

Species: glaciale (Glacier)

English Name(s):

Glacier Aven,

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Herbaceous (not woody) plants from subligneous (almost woody) rhizomes (rootstralk).
• Densely tufted plant.

Leaves:

• Pinnately divided with 5-7 pairs of entire (not lobed) to subentire leaflets.
• Mainly basal (from base).
• Petioles (stalks) short, densely villous (fury) from soft yellowish white hairs.
• Upper surface glabrous (hairless) underside densely villous from soft yellowish white hairs.

Reproductive Parts:

• Flower solitary 3-4cm in diamter, atop a leafy, densely villous, stem.
• Sepals 5 alternating with small sepal-like bracts.
• Bracts linear (narrow), shorter than sepal lobes.
• Petals 5-8, yellow, oval in shape, 1.5-2.0cm long.
• Stamens (male parts) numerous.
• Pistils (female parts) numerous, 1-cavitied.
• Styles long, sharply curved or hooked, feathery and persistent (not falling off) on fruit.

Seed:

• Fruit is a seed-like achene (nutlet), with short stiff hairs, born on a dry, cone-shaped receptacle.
• Achenes with 2-3cm long, plumose (feathery) styles.

Not to Be Confused With:

• The other Geums (Avens). Geum macrophyllum (Large-leaf Aven) can be distinguished by the large terminal lobes on its leaves. Geum rossii (Ross's Aven) can be distinguished by its hairless leaves and stem and smaller flowers.

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• Plants deciduous (dieing back) from rhizomes (rootstalk).
• Flowers appear soon after snowmelt.

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Stony alpine slopes or dry heath.

Modern:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• 1tbsp of chopped roots boiled in 250ml milk or water maked a tea taken for dysentry. 500-750ml in a day sipped over several hours is usually needed.
• 2tbsp boiled for 20 minutes in 1 liter of water and drunk in small dosses for 2-3 days is said to be good for uterine bleeding, excessive menstral bleeding, and middle of the month spotting.
• 5ml of dried plant material boiled in 250ml water makes a tea that is drunk between meals to relieve inflamation and irritability of the stomach lining.

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

• When kept in the house Avens are thought to render the devil powerless there.

Industrial:

Medicinal:

• In England roots were marinated in wine and eaten as a remedy for heart trouble.
• Roots were sometimes mixed in ale as a stomach medicine.

Food: