Hybrid Avens
Hybrid Avens - Geum rivale x urbanum = G. x intermedium
Hybrid Avens is a hybrid of Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) with Water Avens (Geum rivale). This fully fertile hybrid can be plentiful where the parents meet, and the resulting hybrids can exhibit a full spectrum of intermediate forms between the two parents covering every aspect. It usually has drooping yellow flowers and five sepals with a shorter, narrower bract between the sepals. A ring of stamens with yellow anthers surrounds a bunch of green stigmas.
The parent plants - Geum urbanum and Geum rivale. The hybrid is intermediate in character
A photograph of the plant in its habitat, and photograph showing details of flowers. (RPR)
Often found in damp woodland but can occur in any area where the two parent species are found.
Flowering from May
Perennial
Widespread but local, especially in central and southern England. Most records seem to come from the north and west of Britain.
In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 4 of the 617 tetrads, and in the Flora of Rutland (Messenger 1971) in 3 tetrads
In the current VC55 checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as scarce
It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) as Locally Scarce (i.e. present in 4-10 sites)
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Herb Bennet Aphid
Macrosiphum gei is found in dense colonies on the upper parts of the flower stem of Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) which is also known as Herb-Bennet and on Hybrid Avens. It can also occur on the undersides of the leaves of some Apiaceae, especially Anthriscus. Macrosiphum gei apterae are spindle-shaped, usually mid-green to bluish green or wine red.



