Geum urbanum, also known as wood avens, herb Bennet, colewort, clove root and St. Benedict's herb (Latin: herba benedicta), is a perennial plant in the rose family (Rosaceae), which grows in shady places (such as woodland edges and near hedgerows) in the temperate regions of Eurasia and North America.

Geum urbanum is a downy perennial herb with a short, thick rhizome and thin wiry stems, reaching up to 60 centimetres (24 in). The rhizome is purple in cross-section.

The leaves, which vary considerably in form depending on their position and local growth conditions, are pinnate, with 2–3 pairs of unequal lateral leaflets measuring 5–10 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) long, and one large terminal three-lobed leaflet that is cuneate to cordate at the base. The upper leaves on the stem are trifoliate, consisting of three long narrow leaflets, or undivided.^{[citation needed]} The stipules, measuring 4 x 3 cm, are as wide as long.

The plant blooms between May and August, but the flowers can remain into the autumn and sometimes as late as December. The flowers are 1–2 cm in diameter, having five bright yellow petals clearly separated from a calyx divided into 5 large and 5 small segments. The hermaphrodite flowers, which are relatively small in relation to the size of the plant, are scented and are pollinated by bees.

The fruiting head consists of many zigzag-shaped hairy achenes measuring 5–10 mm long. In fruit, the lower part of each style has a burr that can hook on to the fur of rabbits and other animals for dispersal.

Geum urbanum hybridizes fairly regularly with Geum rivale (water avens), as they are closely related and cooccur. In fact, the phenomenon is so conspicuous that hybrids were once treated as a separate species named Geum intermedium Ehrh.

It has been introduced in North America, where it forms natural hybrids with Geum canadense (= Geum ×catlingii J.-P. Bernard & R. Gauthier).

Both G. urbanum and its hybrids show hexaploidy, with chromosome number 2n = 42.