Rosaceae

Purple avens

Geum rivale L.

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Geum

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Purple avens (Geum rivale) — FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (35)

Arabic: حشيشة بركة, بنوات, حشيشة مباركة
Armenian: Շոհոքրամ գետային
Azerbaijani: Çay çınqılotu
Belarusian: Панікніца рачная
Bulgarian: Ручейно омайниче
Chinese: 紫萼路边青, 紫萼路邊青, 柔毛水杨梅
csb: Parzelnica
Czech: Kuklík potoční
Danish: Eng-Nellikerod
Dutch: Knikkend nagelkruid
English: Purple avens, Water avens
Estonian: Ojamõõl
Finnish: Ojakellukka
French: Benoîte des ruisseaux, Benoite des ruisseaux
German: Bach-Nelkenwurz, Bachnelkenwurz
hsb: Přirěčny kuklik
Hungarian: Bókoló gyömbérgyökér
Icelandic: Fjalldalafífill
Irish: Macall uisce
kw: Lesbenigys an dowr
Latvian: Pļavas bitene
Lithuanian: Raudonoji žiognagė, Gegutės bliūdelis
Norwegian Bokmål: Enghumleblom
Norwegian Nynorsk: Enghumleblom
Persian: علف مبارک رونده
Polish: Kuklik zwisły
Russian: Гравилат речной, Гравилат приручейный, Гравилат ручейный
se: Niitobiellorássi
Slovak: Kuklík potočný
Slovenian: Potočna sretena
Spanish: Bernullia rivalis, Cariofilada acuatica, Cariofilada acuática, Cariofilada de agua, Cariofilada de los arroyos, Cariofilata acuatica, Cariofilata acuática, Orejuela de arroyo
Swedish: Humleblomster, Stort humleblomster, Vanligt humleblomster
Ukrainian: Гравілат річковий
vep: Ojakelloine
Welsh: Mapgoll glan y dŵr, Bendigeidlys y dŵr

Synonyms

Anemone dodecaphylla Krock.
Bernoullia hybrida Raf.
Bernoullia nutans (Raf.) Raf.
Bernoullia rivalis (L.) Raf.
Caryophyllata aquatica Lam.
Caryophyllata nutans Lam.
Caryophyllata nutans Moench
Caryophyllata prolifera Gilib.
Caryophyllata rivalis (L.) Scop.
Geum hybridum Wulfen
Geum hybridum Wulfen ex Jacq.
Geum incisum Dumort.
Geum nutans Crantz
Geum nutans Lam.
Geum nutans Crantz
Geum nutans Raf.
Geum pallidum Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
Geum pictum Scheutz
Geum rafinesqueanum Steud.
Geum rivale f. alpinum (Schur) Buia
Geum rivale f. hispanicum Pau
Geum rivale f. interstylosum W.F.Christ.
Geum rivale f. rivale
Geum rivale f. subalpinum Neuman
Geum rivale f. typicum Buia
Geum rivale subsp. islandicum Á.Löve & D.Löve
Geum rivale subsp. subalpinum (Neuman) Selander
Geum rivale subvar. grandifolium Asch. & Graebn.
Geum rivale subvar. humile Asch. & Graebn.
Geum rivale subvar. strictum (Norman) Asch. & Graebn.
Geum rivale unranked ambiguum Peterm.
Geum rivale unranked monstrosum Hagenb.
Geum rivale var. alpinum Schur
Geum rivale var. asperum Pawł.
Geum rivale var. degeneratum Baumg. ex Schur
Geum rivale var. grandiflorum Gray
Geum rivale var. grandifolium Scheutz
Geum rivale var. hybridum Gaudin
Geum rivale var. leonardii Bergmans
Geum rivale var. lividum Chitr.

and 8 more.

Flowers

In flower: May to June (from 4,157 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Greenland: native, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sylvain Montagner, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Георгий Виноградов (Georgy Vinogradov), CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: aarongunnar, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: mfeaver, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: fireramsey, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Rob Wallace, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Nicolas Weghaupt, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bonnie Isaac, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Geum

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.