Avens

Avens, the popular name of Geum (q.v.), a genus of Rosaceæ, of which two species, G. urbanum, the Common Avens, and G. rivale, or Water Avens, with their hybrids, are common in Britain, and range through temperate regions. The roots were formerly used in pharmacy as a tonic, astringent, and aromatic, whence the names of clove-root and herb-bennet (herba benedicta) of old herbals.