Avens

Water Avens

Common name:  Water avens (variety), purple avens, nodding avens, drooping avens, cure-all, water flower, and Indian chocolate, chocolate root

Scientific name:  Geum rivale

Family: Rose, Rosaceae

Bloom period:  Late April to May

Where to see it:  Along the roadside edges of the Building 1 and 2 gardens and scattered in the village green garden.

What to look for:  Cup-shaped yellow-orange flowers nodding atop long stems above their basal rosettes of leaves.

Benefit to pollinators:  The flowers’ nectar and pollen attract bees.

More information:  The root has been used to make a chocolate-like drink and to flavor ale.  The root was also used medicinally for digestive problems, as an anti-inflammatory, and as an antiseptic.