woodland wildflower
White avens
Geum canadense
1 of 2Native to much of the USA and southern Canada
Nova Scotia to South Dakota to Georgia to eastern Texas
- Light Part shade to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
- Zones 3–9 Cold to heat range
- Bloom Apr–Jun Flowering time
- Height
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland wildflower for part to full shade and dry to moist soil. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Spurred Ceratina +85 more
Lucorum-group Bumble Bees, Bristle Sweat Bee, Slender-faced Masked Bee, Eastern Miner Bee, Punctate Masked Bee, Annulate Masked Bee, Hairy masked Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Little Masked Bee, Triepeolus cressonii, hoary sweat bee, Common Masked Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Nomada bifasciata, Andrena nothoscordi, Sharp-collared Furrow Bee, Black Masked Bee, Dusty Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Large Masked Bee, Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Bronze furrow bee, Golden Furrow Bee, Hylaeus cardioscapus, Lasioglossum sabulosum, Lasioglossum podolicum, Hylaeus glacialis, Hylaeus pfankuchi, Snowy Masked Bee, Hylaeus moricei, Andrena afrensis, Hylaeus pilosulus, Early Bumble Bee, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Green Furrow Bee, Hylaeus bifasciatus, Lasioglossum aeratum, Lasioglossum subfasciatum, Hylaeus duckei, Hylaeus euryscapus, Hylaeus crassanus, Lasioglossum intermedium, Hylaeus alpinus, Hylaeus gibbus, White-lipped Yellow-face Bee, Hylaeus sinuatus, Small Shiny Furrow Bee, Halictus leucaheneus, Chalk Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum majus, Hylaeus tyrolensis, Dotted Masked Bee, Narrowed Masked Bee, Forest Masked Bee, Garden Bumble Bee, Osmia mustelina, Hylaeus styriacus, Reed Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum interruptum, Lasioglossum tricinctum, Hylaeus difformis, Tree Bumble Bee, Hylaeus taeniolatus, Lasioglossum lucidulum, Hylaeus imparilis, Horned Masked Bee, Shrill Carder-Bumble bee, White-jawed Yellow-face Bee, Short-horned Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum lineare, Variegated Masked Bee, Gredler's Masked Bee, Common Miniature Mining Bee, Lasioglossum marginatum, Fringed Furrow Bee, Hylaeus kahri, Lasioglossum glabriusculum, Onion Yellow-face Bee, Hylaeus paulus, Halictidae sp., Forest Cuckoo Bumble bee, Lasioglossum simplex, Tetraloniella albata, Sanicle Masked Bee, Lasioglossum tegulare, Augochlorella persimilis - Flower flies Margined Calligrapher
also Eastern Calligrapher, Thick-legged Hover Fly, Variable Duskyface Fly +7 more
Platycheirus scutatus, Bombylius atriceps, Common Globetail, Marmalade Hover Fly, Ladder-backed Hover Fly, Iridescent Bromeliad Fly, Spring Epistrophe - Butterflies Gulf Fritillary also Small Copper, Green-veined White, Thecla edwardsi
- Also visited by
- Beetles:
Seven-spotted Lady Beetle, Lined Longhorn Beetle +5 more
Onthophagus pennsylvanicus, Euderces picipes, Chlorophorus glaucus, Tumbling Ragdoll, Red-necked Cane Borer - Wasps: Fraternal Potter Wasp
- Moths: Plusia precationis
- Beetles:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Edwards' hairstreaknectar
- Gulf fritillarynectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (37): AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV. Canada (4): NB, NS, PE, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Nova Scotia to South Dakota to Georgia to eastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 3–9 · Canadian 3–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Calcareous or Acidic, Poor or Rich, Dry or Moist, Loose or CompactedThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 4.5–7.5The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ErectIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 4+ in (10+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- Apr–JunWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- WhiteThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.4 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.