Download 8. Prairie Smoke - Friess Lake School District

Common Name of Plant: Prairie Smoke
Scientific Name of Plant: Geum Triflorum
Average Height of Plant: 4-16 inches
Blooming Time: April - June
Ask the Botanist
What are the leaves like? The compound leaves are basal and bear seven to seventeen
hairy leaflets that get progressively longer up the petiole. The leaflets are varied in shape.
What type of flowers bloom on this plant? The five sepals are red, and the five petals
are pink on these nodding flowers that are borne in groups of three on the flowering stalk.
What is unusual about the seedpods or seeds of this plant? The dry clusters of seeds
have long, feathery hairs which suggest a feather duster.
How is this plant important to animals? Has it also been used by people? The
flowers are pollinated by insects. The roots have been used as a weak tea for colic,
ailments for the digestive tract and uterine hemorrhage, and fever. The plant has been used
as a powerful astringent, styptic and eyewash.
Is there anything else unusual about this plant? Another name for the plant is old
man’s whiskers. It is a member of the rose family. This very hairy plant is among the first
to bloom in the spring. It prefers dry, rocky soil where few other plants can grow.
Source:
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=GEUTRIvTRI