''Geum montanum'', the Alpine avens, is a species of flowering plant of the genus ''

Geum ''Geum'' , (Latinized Greek for "taste" referencing the roots of the plant) commonly called avens, is a genus of about 50 species of rhizomatous perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plants in the Rosaceae, rose family and its subfamily Rosoidea ...

'' in the

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

family, native to the mountains of central and southern Europe.

Distribution

''Geum montanum'' is widespread in the Alps, typically at elevations in the range 1430–2300m (though it occurs at as low as 700m in

Centovalli Centovalli (literally: hundred valleys) is a valley and a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Locarno (district), Locarno in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is composed of 19 villages or ...

and as high as 3500m in

Monte Rosa : , other_name = Monte Rosa massif , translation = Mount Rose , photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg , photo_caption = Central Mon ...

). It is found in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

, the Cantabrians, the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...

, the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

, the

Sudetes The Sudetes ( ; pl, Sudety; german: Sudeten; cs, Krkonošsko-jesenická subprovincie), commonly known as the Sudeten Mountains, is a geomorphological subprovince in Central Europe, shared by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. They consis ...

(1300–1400m), throughout the Carpathians (900–2500m in the

Tatras The Tatra Mountains (), Tatras, or Tatra (''Tatry'' either in Slovak () or in Polish () - ''plurale tantum''), are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the highe ...

), in the north of the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

, on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, and on the Balkan Peninsula: in the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo (specifically in

Žljeb Žljeb ( sr-cyrl, Жљеб; sq, Zhleb) is a mountain located between western Kosovo and the Rožaje Municipality of eastern Montenegro. It is a part of the Accursed Mountains (or Prokletije/Bjëshket e Nemurë), located between the mountains of ...

and

Accursed Mountains The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

), northernmost Greece (2000–2500m in

Varnous Varnous or Varnoundas ( el, Βαρνούντας, also called ''Peristeri'') is a mountain in northern Florina regional unit, Greece, situated between the town of Florina and Lake Prespa, and just south of the border with North Macedonia. Its hig ...

Kajmakčalan Kajmakčalan (Kaimakchalan), or Kaimaki or Kaimaktsalan or Voras ( el, Καϊμακτσαλάν or or , mk, Каjмакчалан, translit=Kajmakčalan), is a mountain on the border between Greece and North Macedonia. It is the southernmost ...

and Tzena), in the east of Serbia (

Suva Planina Suva Planina (Serbian Cyrillic: Сува планина, meaning "dry mountain") is a List of mountains of Serbia, mountain in Southern Serbia (geographical region), southeastern Serbia. It lies between the towns of Niška Banja to the northwest a ...

) and the west of Bulgaria (at elevations of 1600–2700m in western and central

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...

Sredna Gora Sredna Gora ( bg, Средна гора ) is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains and extending from the Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora i ...

Vitosha Vitosha ( bg, Витоша ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Conveni ...

Osogovo Osogovo (Bulgarian/ Macedonian: ), or Osogovska Planina or Osogovski Planini (Осоговска Планина or Осоговски Планини), is a mountain range and ski resort between the south-western part of Bulgaria (Kyustendil Provi ...

Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Mus ...

Pirin , photo=Pirin-mountains-Bansko.jpg , photo_caption=Pirin scenery in winter , country= Bulgaria, , parent= , geology= granite, gneiss, marble, limestone , area_km2=2585 , range_coordinates = , length_km=80 , length_orientation= north-s ...

, Slavyanka and the western

Rhodopes The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...

Uses

In cultivation in the UK, ''Geum montanum'' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. ''Geum montanum'' roots have been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea for treatment of rheumatism, gout, infections, and fever.

Notes

External links

* montanum Flora of Romania Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Alps Flora of the Carpathians Flora of the Pyrenees {{rosoideae-stub