Geum urbanum L.
Avens
Wood avens, also known as herb bennet, is a native perennial of the rose family that is most at home in shade. It forms a rosette of pinnate, irregularly toothed leaves and sends up wiry, branching stems carrying small yellow flowers with five well-spaced petals.
About
Wood avens, also known as herb bennet, is a native perennial of the rose family that is most at home in shade. It forms a rosette of pinnate, irregularly toothed leaves and sends up wiry, branching stems carrying small yellow flowers with five well-spaced petals. After flowering, the seed heads develop into rounded clusters of fruits tipped with tiny hooked styles, which cling readily to fur and clothing and so spread the plant widely.
It grows in shady and partly shaded places such as woodland, hedgerows, shady banks and the edges of paths and gardens, tolerating a wide range of soils. Flowering over a long season through summer, its modest blooms are visited by bees and hoverflies. The roots have a clove-like scent and were once used as a flavouring and in herbal remedies. Easy and shade-tolerant, it is a useful filler for woodland-edge and hedgerow wildflower plantings, though its clinging seeds mean it spreads freely.
Also known as
Bennet's-root · Clove-root · Cloveroot · Colewort · Herb Bennet · St. Benedict's Herb · Wood Avens · herb-bennet · town avens
Synonyms
Bernoullia media · Caryophyllata officinalis · Caryophyllata urbana · Caryophyllata vulgaris · Geranium pseudomolle · Geum ambiguum · Geum caryophyllata · Geum caucasicum · Geum dubium
In our seed mixes
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.