Geum triflorum Pursh

Prairie Smoke

© SRTurner

Family - Rosaceae

Habit - Perennial forb.

Stems - Ascending to erect, to 40 cm, the entire length moderately to more commonly densely pubescent with soft, spreading to somewhat downward-angled, short hairs and sparse to moderate, longer, spreading hairs.

Leaves - Basal and cauline, compound. Basal leaves pinnately deeply lobed and/ or compound with 7-17 primary leaflets, short-petiolate, the petiole frequently winged; the primary leaflets 1-5 cm long, gradually smaller from the blade tip to base, irregularly and often jaggedly, sharply lobed or toothed, the surfaces and margins sparsely to moderately and finely hairy. Stem leaves usually 2, opposite, much smaller than the basal leaves, pinnately or nearly palmately deeply and jaggedly divided into 3-7 main segments, these often jaggedly toothed toward the tips. Stipules 4-12 mm long, broadly ovate to ovate, often with few to several jagged lobes.

	Leaves (basal and stem)
© SRTurner

	Basal leaf adaxial.
© SRTurner

	Basal leaf abaxial.
© SRTurner

	Leaflets (basal) adaxial.
© SRTurner

	Leaflets (basal) abaxial.
© SRTurner

	Stem leaf.
© SRTurner

Inflorescences - Open terminal clusters, the stalks nodding and densely pubescent with conspicuous, fine, woolly to spreading, shorter and longer hairs, some of the hairs sometimes gland-tipped.

	Inflorescence.
© SRTurner

	Inflorescence.
© SRTurner

Flowers - Receptacle short-hairy between the fruits. Sepals 7-13 mm long, ovate-triangular to broadly lanceolate, pink to reddish pink, alternating with shorter to longer, much narrower bractlets, these usually arched outward at flowering. Petals 10-14 mm long, slightly longer than the sepals (but often shorter than the bractlets), white or yellow, sometimes pinkish-or purplish-tinged, especially with age. Styles not noticeably jointed, persistent, mostly straight or only slightly curved toward the tip, becoming elongated to 3-5 cm at fruiting, the lower portion densely pubescent (plumose) with long, soft, spreading hairs, the apical 2-4 mm hairy only toward its base.

	Flower.
© SRTurner

	Flower.
© SRTurner

	Sepals and bractlets.
© SRTurner

Fruits - Cluster of fruits 8-12 mm in diameter (not including the styles), sessile or nearly so, not evidently raised above the calyx. Fruits with the main body 2.5-3.5 mm long, somewhat flattened, densely pubescent with soft hairs.

	Fruits.
© SRTurner

Flowering - April - May.

Habitat - Pastures, grasslands. Also cultivated as a garden ornamental.

Origin - Native to the U.S.

Lookalikes - None.

Other info. - This species is rare in Missouri, found thus far only in a single location near the upper northwest corner of the state. It is much more common in regions to the north and west. It is uncertain whether the Missouri station represents a natural occurance or if it was a garden escape. The plant is easily recognized when flowering by the unique inflorescence.

The species has been subdivided into four generally recognized varieties. The Missouri specimen belonged to var. triflorum. It is possible that the above photos represent a different variety, which differs slightly in morphology.

Photographs taken at Rocky Mountain National Park, Larimer County, CO, 7-8-2019, and near Post Falls, Kootenai County, ID, 5-17-2025 (SRTurner).