Bent avens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bent avens |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Geum
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| Species: |
geniculatum
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The bent avens (Geum geniculatum) is a special flowering plant that belongs to the rose family. It is a very rare plant, found only in a few places in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States. You can find it on just three mountains: Grandfather Mountain and Rich Mountain in North Carolina, and Roan Mountain, which is on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.
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What Does Bent Avens Look Like?
The bent avens is a plant that grows back every year, like many garden flowers. It can grow to be about 50 to 70 centimeters (20 to 28 inches) tall. Its leaves are quite small, about 1 to 1.5 centimeters (0.4 to 0.6 inches) long, and each leaf has three parts.
When it blooms in July and August, its flowers grow in clusters. The petals can be white, a little pink, or even greenish.
Where Does Bent Avens Live?
This plant is a bit like a living fossil, meaning it's a very old type of plant that now only survives in specific, small areas. It needs cool and wet conditions to grow well. You'll often find it in damp, rocky areas or along the banks of small streams. It likes shady spots where other plants, like rhododendrons, grow thickly around it.
How Does It Get Pollinated?
The bent avens relies on insects to help it make seeds. It's thought that busy bumblebees and honeybees are the main helpers that carry pollen from one flower to another.
Why Is It So Rare?
There are only four known groups of bent avens plants in the world. Even though it can grow in large numbers in these specific spots, its overall home range is very tiny. This makes it a very unique and important plant to protect.
