Above: Prairie Smoke next to the University of Wisconsin Arbortetum's Visitors Center in Madison, Wisconsin (4/8/21).
Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum
Prairie Smoke is native plant that likes full sun and grows in prairies and woods with sandy, loamy soil.
The 5-parted flowers are pink to purplish and bloom from April through June. The flowers nod when young and appear on short reddish purple-tinged stems from 6" to 16" high.
Above: The pollinated flowers turn upwards and open up. The pistils in the middle of the flower develop into heads of seeds with long fuzzy hairs that point upwards. The hairs resemble mauve smoke; hence, the name prairie smoke.
The flowers bloom April - June.
Other names: Old Man's Whiskers, Purple (or Red) Avens, Long-plumed Avens, Three-flowered Avens.
For more information on the Prairie Smoke, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Prairie Smoke - Geum triflorum.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension website page about Prairie Smoke.
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Above: Prairie Smoke next to the University of Wisconsin Arbortetum's Visitors Center (4/8/21)
Above: Prairie Smoke next to the University of Wisconsin Arbortetum's Visitors Center (4/17/21)
Above: Prairie Smoke next to the University of Wisconsin Arbortetum's Visitors Center (5/24/21)
Above: Prairie Smoke next to the University of Wisconsin Arbortetum's Visitors Center (5/26/21)
Above: Prairie Smoke specimen collected on June 14, 1947 about a mile east of Black River Fall
Above: 1907 Prairie Smoke (Sieversia ciliata/Geum triflorum Pursh) botanical illustration by Don G.
Above: 1921 Mary Vaux Walcott botanical illustration of Prairie-Smoke.