Geum coccineum

Geum coccineum is a species of flowering plant in the genus Geum, in the rose family Rosaceae. Native to the mountains of the Balkans and northern Turkey, it is also grown ornamentally for its bright red flowers.

Nomenclature

In horticulture, it is also referred to as Geum borisii, but in the botanical literature following J. Kellerer & Sünd. this name is only used for the hybrid Geum bulgaricum × montanum. The name Geum coccineum is itself used in the gardening literature for another related plant: Geum chiloense.

Description

Geum coccineum is herbaceous and perennial, growing to a height of 10–45cm. It blooms, with orange-red flowers, from May to August.
The species is hexaploid, having six sets of chromosomes.

Distribution and habitat

The plant is found on wet, marshy meadows and along streams.
Within Turkey, the plant is found at elevations of 1200–2400m in a number of localities in the Pontic Mountains, in the Erzurum area, in the Ilgaz Mountains of Kastamonu Province, in Kütahya, and Uludağ in the province of Bursa.
Geum coccineum grows in the mountains of Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, and central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also present in the Accursed Mountains of Albania and Montenegro, in the mountains of eastern Albania, and northern Greece.
It is grown decoratively, and as a garden escapee it has become naturalised in isolated areas of Slovenia and Saxony.