Prairie smoke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prairie smoke
Geum triflorum (Olympic National Park)
Scientific classification

Geum triflorum, also known as prairie smoke, three-flowered avens, or old man's whiskers, is a beautiful plant found in North America. It grows from northern Canada all the way down to California and east to New York. This plant is a perennial, which means it lives for more than two years. It's also an herbaceous plant, meaning it has soft stems, not woody ones like trees. Its unique flowers bloom from mid-spring to early summer.

What it Looks Like

Prairie smoke plants have leaves that are divided into many smaller parts, like a feather. These leaves usually have 7 to 17 main small leaves, plus a few even tinier ones in between. They grow in a circle close to the ground, like a rosette. These leaves stay green for most of the year, even in winter, though they might turn a pretty reddish-purple color.

The flowers of the prairie smoke plant appear in spring. They grow on short stems that are reddish-purple and about 6 to 16 inches (15 to 40 cm) tall. The flowers usually grow in a cluster of 3 to 5, like a small umbrella. At the bottom of this cluster, there are leaf-like parts called bracts, which can be green or reddish-purple. Sometimes, you might see more of these bracts lower down on the stem.

When the flowers first bloom, they hang downwards and stay mostly closed, looking like small buds. There's just a tiny opening at the bottom. Inside, the five petals are a creamy or yellowish color, often mixed with pink or purple. However, these petals are mostly covered by five red, leaf-like parts called sepals. There are also five narrow, small bracts between the sepals. Deep inside the flower, you'll find a group of female parts called pistils and many male parts called stamens around them.

After the flowers are pollinated, they turn upwards and open up. The pistils in the center grow into a fluffy ball of seeds with long, fuzzy hairs. These hairs point upwards and look like soft, mauve-colored smoke. This is how the plant got its name, prairie smoke!

The leaves and flowers grow from a thick, short stem called a caudex that stays at ground level. The plant also spreads slowly using short underground stems called rhizomes.

Where it Grows

In the United States, Geum triflorum is found in the western and midwestern states, as well as in New York. In Canada, you can find it in every province west of Ontario, including the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

This plant likes to grow in dry, well-drained soil and needs lots of sunshine. It prefers places with cool summers. However, it doesn't like wet soil, especially during the winter months.

How it Gets Pollinated

Prairie smoke flowers make both sweet nectar and pollen, which are food for insects. Bumblebees are the main visitors to these flowers. They are strong enough to push their way into the mostly closed flowers to reach the nectar. Bumblebees also use a special trick called buzz pollination. They vibrate their bodies to shake the pollen loose from the stamens, then collect it to feed their young.

Smaller bees, like sweat bees from the Lasioglossum group, can also get pollen from the small opening of the flower. However, bumblebees are the only ones that effectively help the plant make seeds by moving pollen between different flowers. Sometimes, other insects will chew small holes near the stem of the flower to get to the nectar.

Uses by People

Long ago, some Native American tribes used parts of the prairie smoke plant. For example, some tribes made a type of tea from the plant's roots. Certain Plateau Indian tribes also used three-flowered avens to help treat tuberculosis.

Images for kids

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  The fluffy seed heads of prairie smoke

See also

In Spanish: Geum triflorum para niños