Large-Leaved Avens, Geum Macrophyllum

Day 221: I am mortally ashamed. For all these many years, I have falsely accused Geum macrophyllum (Large-Leaved Avens) of being a weed, putting it in a mental pigeonhole alongside the buttercups which its flowers resemble. I failed to notice that it did not spread with intentions of world domination. No, I simply dismissed it as a taller version of my nemesis. It wasn't until a friend posted a photo of it on his own blog that I said, "You mean it's a real wildflower?" using an odd choice of non-botanical terminology in my surprise. Yes, indeed, native to the state, and more to my chagrin, not even a member of the Ranunculaceae. Avens is a member of the Rosaceae, closer kin to your prize Peace or wild Nootkas than to that nasty rhizomatous plague infesting my flower beds and lawn. In fact, I didn't even look at it closely, and therein lay the problem. They say that familiarity breeds contempt. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, this Avens was almost always somewhere in my field of view. If not as common as dandelions or Scotch broom, it was at least on a par with Foxglove in the damp woodlands of my childhood and, by dint of its abundance, I assumed it had to be a weed, dismissing it from mind accordingly. By the time I reached adulthood and my interest in botany had manifested in all its glory, poor Avens had become background noise, not worthy of any more attention than I'd give to Buckhorn (Plantago lanceolata), Pineappleweed/Chamomile (Matricaria discoidea) or Sourgrass/Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella). As my readers know, I seek to learn something new every day. In this case, I had to return to the classroom for a lesson in basic fractions even though I'd been doing differential calculus for fifty years.