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Facts About this Plant:

Geum laciniatum, or Rough Avens, is native to the northeastern quarter of the United States. It is a perennial, which grows in moist prairies, meadows, streambanks, marshes and wet open woods. It blooms in early to mid spring, with bright white flowers whose petals are shorter than its sepals.

The plant can be easily confused with two others that grow in at least part of its range, namely, Geum canadense and Geum virginianum. The primary difference between the three is the shape and color of their flowers. Geum canadense has large petals that are longer than its sepals and are bright white. Geum laciniatum has small petals that are shorter than the sepals, and are also bright white. Geum virginianum, however, has petals that are also small and shorter than its sepals, and thus they look most like Geum laciniatum, but they are noticeably cream-colored. In addition to these color differences, the plants usually also bloom at slightly different times - Geum laciniatum blooms first in the late spring; then comes Geum canadense, and then Geum virginianum follows. There is some overlap of blooming time with these at times, so bloom time is not always a solid indicator, but can be helpful. Finally, Geum laciniatum has very divided leaves, and hairy stems, while the other two species do not. See image below for a comparison.

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