Prairie Smoke, Old Man’s whiskers ~ Geum triflorum
These are also sometimes called “Purple Avens” or “Old Man’s Whiskers”. The species name triflorum (three-flowered) comes from their usual cluster of three flowers. When they grow in groups, the “feathery” appearance of the fruits gives an impression of low-lying smoke.
I didn’t realize the number of different species until I began to photograph and research them, and I’m sure there are many that I haven’t discovered for myself too. To find wildflower species you have to be in the right place at the right time and here where my wanderings also incorporate altitudes from 2,400 feet to 7,400 feet and many species are elevation sensitive, it’s easy to realize that I could be missing a lot of them.
This is so beautiful. I’m fond of fuzzy and furry flowers anyway — this is one I’d love to see, The color is special, too.. It reminds me of Clematis drummondii, or old man’s beard.
It’s a gentle little flower and it reminds me of the clematis too. It’s in the rose family though and clematis is in the buttercup family. (And I’m not enough of a botanist to understand the difference.)
They are sure different, and they like full sun on a dry, open hillside. You see them in colonies spread far apart. For some reason they only appear in certailn places.
I wish I could too, but there are so many of them. I have identified over 200 species in the small area through which I roam. I’m actually surprised at how many names I do remember from year to year.
How pretty and delicate. How big are they? I can see why it’s nicknamed Old Man’s Whiskers.
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Comment by Candice — June 1, 2018 @ 10:45 am
The buds are about a half inch across, so they’re small, but fairly easy to find because they prefer to grow in the open.
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 12:48 pm
That’s an interesting flower, and probably one I’ll never meet in person.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — June 1, 2018 @ 3:06 pm
I see that they have a presence in Ontario and in Jefferson and Oswego counties in New York.
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 3:42 pm
Maybe they’ll work their way south east.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — June 1, 2018 @ 5:55 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 8:37 pm
One of my favorites!! Ironically, the only times I have seen prairie smoke are in former burn areas. Such odd little flowers.
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Comment by Laura Elizabeth — June 1, 2018 @ 5:09 pm
Interesting. I haven’t noticed them especially in burned areas. I’ll remember to watch for that.
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 8:36 pm
What an amazing variety of wildflowers you have there! Beautiful ones too.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — June 1, 2018 @ 8:07 pm
I didn’t realize the number of different species until I began to photograph and research them, and I’m sure there are many that I haven’t discovered for myself too. To find wildflower species you have to be in the right place at the right time and here where my wanderings also incorporate altitudes from 2,400 feet to 7,400 feet and many species are elevation sensitive, it’s easy to realize that I could be missing a lot of them.
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 8:45 pm
But what an incentive to keep looking for a new one. You never know when you might stumble upon one you haven’t seen before.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — June 2, 2018 @ 10:49 am
It’s fun to see the new blooms each year anyway, but really special to find a new one or one that I rarely see.
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Comment by montucky — June 2, 2018 @ 11:13 am
I can imagine that feeling. It’s probably a step up from when I find a surprise volunteer in my garden.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — June 2, 2018 @ 12:17 pm
Very much the same. A pleasant surprise.
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Comment by montucky — June 2, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
This is so beautiful. I’m fond of fuzzy and furry flowers anyway — this is one I’d love to see, The color is special, too.. It reminds me of Clematis drummondii, or old man’s beard.
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Comment by shoreacres — June 1, 2018 @ 8:18 pm
It’s a gentle little flower and it reminds me of the clematis too. It’s in the rose family though and clematis is in the buttercup family. (And I’m not enough of a botanist to understand the difference.)
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Comment by montucky — June 1, 2018 @ 8:34 pm
Gorgeously striking!
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Comment by bayphotosbydonna — June 3, 2018 @ 5:06 am
Certainly different from the more standard kind of flower, isn’t it.
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Comment by montucky — June 3, 2018 @ 8:26 am
What a beauty. That’s one unusual flower I’d like to have around my area 🙂
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Comment by Vicki — June 3, 2018 @ 5:50 pm
They are sure different, and they like full sun on a dry, open hillside. You see them in colonies spread far apart. For some reason they only appear in certailn places.
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Comment by montucky — June 3, 2018 @ 6:29 pm
Very interesting. Seems to differ from many flowers. When seeing it, I thought that I have seen similar in Finland, but wikipedia said – not.
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Comment by Sartenada — June 5, 2018 @ 12:28 am
Yes, they are quite different from most flowers, but I find them to be very pretty.
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Comment by montucky — June 5, 2018 @ 8:12 am
Aptly named prairie Smoke … 🙂
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Comment by Julie@frogpondfarm — June 6, 2018 @ 1:31 am
The name makes a lot of sense when you see a whole bunch of them in one area. It does look like puffs of smoke on the ground.
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Comment by montucky — June 6, 2018 @ 7:02 am
Those are gorgeous and that color is so beautiful.
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Comment by Candace — June 8, 2018 @ 7:24 pm
I like seeing them. They walk a different path than the other flowers do.
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Comment by montucky — June 8, 2018 @ 7:44 pm
Very Nice! Wish I could remember all the names of Wildflowers!
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Comment by Reed Andariese — June 9, 2018 @ 6:58 pm
I wish I could too, but there are so many of them. I have identified over 200 species in the small area through which I roam. I’m actually surprised at how many names I do remember from year to year.
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Comment by montucky — June 9, 2018 @ 8:41 pm