''Geum peckii'' is a species of herbaceous,

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

flowering plant in the

rose family 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 ...

known by the common name mountain avens. It is native to eastern North America, where it is known from only two locations, the White Mountains of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and three sites in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

.''Geum peckii''.
The Nature Conservancy. This perennial herb grows 20 to 40 centimeters tall and has compound leaves made up of several rounded leaflets. Yellow flowers 1 to 3 centimeters wide are produced in June through September.''Geum peckii''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The plant reproduces

vegetatively Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...

via rhizome and sexually via seed. Each flower produces about 50 seeds. In New Hampshire the flowers are likely pollinated by flies. This plant was first collected in 1804 on

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...

by the botanist

William Dandridge Peck William Dandridge Peck (May 8, 1763 – October 8, 1822) was an American naturalist, the first native-born entomologist and a pioneer in the field of economic entomology. In 1806 he became the first professor of natural history at Harvard, a pos ...

.Mattrick, C
''Geum peckii''.
USDA FS Celebrating Wildflowers. In the White Mountains it grows on

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

snowfields and meadows and

subalpine Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

streambanks. In Nova Scotia it grows in bogs and other coastal wetlands along the Bay of Fundy.

Climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

may reduce available habitat for this plant by making it easier for trees and shrubs to grow and encroach on the open habitat required by the plant. This is already occurring on

Brier Island Brier Island is an island in the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia. Geography The island is the westernmost part of Nova Scotia and the southern end of the North Mountain ridge with Long Island lying immediately northeast; both islands ...

, Nova Scotia. Other threats include

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

and overcollection. Ditch construction on Brier Island has lowered the water table, making it easier for

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century ...

s to nest in the area. The gulls bring in the seeds of weedy plants.

Similar species

''Geum peckii'' is morphologically indistinguishable from '' Geum radiatum'', but genetic research has supported the maintenance of the two as separate species.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
peckii Flora of New Hampshire Flora of Nova Scotia {{Rosaceae-stub