Flower profile

Prairie smoke

Geum triflorum

Native in the lower 48

Prairie smoke is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–July.

19states

5of our state lists

11,299U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

Quick look

Geum triflorum, commonly known as prairie smoke, old man's whiskers, or three-flowered avens, is a spring-blooming perennial herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family. It is a hemiboreal continental climate species that is widespread in colder and drier environments of western North America, although it does occur in isolated populations as far east as New York and Ontario.
From Wikipedia's article Geum triflorum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Rosaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 19 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Montana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–July. ^iNaturalist
In Wyoming, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1.5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 1,445 research-grade sightings of it in Montana, ranking #13 among the 109 flowers on our Montana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 894 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #18 among the 107 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 503 research-grade sightings of it in Idaho, ranking #68 among the 109 flowers on our Idaho list. ^iNaturalist

Prairie smoke gift ideas

Handmade prairie smoke gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Prairie smoke art print
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Prairie smoke greeting card
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Prairie smoke mug
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Prairie smoke earrings
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Prairie smoke embroidery pattern
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Prairie smoke sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,234 records)

Bloom time in each of our 5 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Montana	Native	April–July	1,445
Wyoming	Native	May–July	894
Idaho	Native	May–July	503
North Dakota	Native	May–June	249
South Dakota	Native	few records	190

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Idaho.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S2), MI (S2), NY (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records prairie smoke in 19 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Montana counties with USDA records: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Hill, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Phillips, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sanders, Sheridan, Stillwater, Treasure, Valley, Wheatland, Yellowstone.

Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Lincoln, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Platte, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton, Washakie, Weston.

Idaho counties with USDA records: Adams, Bannock, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Cassia, Clark, Clearwater, Custer, Fremont, Idaho, Jefferson, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Nez Perce, Oneida, Owyhee, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley.

More Montana flowers

Roses (genus Rosa)

Rosa

★ NY state flower🌷 Garden flower

🌼 Blooms in MT: June–July

Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus

Native

🌼 Blooms in MT: June–July

Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

Native

🌼 Blooms in MT: May–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GETR.
iNaturalist, Geum triflorum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Geum triflorum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Geum triflorum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: jenniferf4 via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.