Prairie Smoke

Plant Info

Also known as:	Old Man's Whiskers
Scientific name:	Geum triflorum
Family:	Rose (Rosaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; dry fields, prairies
Bloom season:	spring
Plant height:	6 to 16 inches
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park

Pick an image for a larger view. Most image enlargements are 50-100KB, though some may be larger. See the glossary for icon descriptions.

Detailed Information

Flower:

Groups of 3 or 6 flowers, generally red but may be a reddish shade of pink, purple or brown. Each flower is ¾ to 1 inch long, nods down and remains bud-like when young but becomes erect and opens up after polination (see seed photo below). Mostly hidden under the red bracts are 5 white to pale pink petals. 5 long narrow red sepals fly out from the base of the flower.

Leaves and stem:

Basal leaves are 4 to 8 inches long, divided into 7 or more leaflets, hairy with coarse notches at the tips. The stem is reddish brown and covered in fine hairs.

Fruit:

Seed head 2 inches long of feathery plumes.

Notes:

Prairie Smoke is one of the first prairie flowers to bloom in the spring.

More photos

• a small patch of Prairie Smoke

More red wildflowers. Photos taken at Wild River State Park, Center City, MN, May 2007

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

Post a comment

Note: All comments are moderated before posting to keep the riff-raff out. An email address is required, but will not be posted—it will only be used for information exchange between the 2 of us (if needed) and will never be given to a 3rd party without your express permission.

Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

Your Name:

Your email address: (required)

Comment: