Syn.: Geum octopetalum (L.) E. H. L. Krause, Ptilotum octopetalum (L.) Dulac
Family: Rosaceae Juss.
Distribution: Northern and mountain areas of Europe and Asia.
Ecology: Grows on rocks, screeps, and grassy slopes, on limestone soils, from mountains to alpine zones.
Description: Shrub with stems forming cushion-like tufts, several centimetres high. The leaves are petiolate, ovate, leathery, with rounded teeth, on underside white, upper surface is green. The flowers are solitary, on erect stalks, 3–10 cm long, petals most often 8, flowers from June to July. The fruits is an achene with hairy appendages.
Endangering and Protection: The Mountain Avens is a protected in some countries (CH, I, SK).
Note: Often cultivated in the gardens.
These images were taken by Ladislav Kovář in Slovakia, Malá Fatra (June 13, 2004) and by Jindřich Houska, in Austria, Totesgebirge (fruits, August 20, 2006).
