Pulsatilla nuttalliana

Spring has officially arrived, although it often doesn’t feel like it in the Saskatchewan. One of the first signs that spring has begun is the appearance of the prairie crocus. Pulsatilla nuttalliana (DC) Berch ex J. Presl. goes by several names such as: prairie crocus, pasqueflower, and prairie smoke. It has a distinctive purple flower that develops into several long-winged and fuzzy fruits when mature. It’s short flowering season begins in Mid to Late April and extends into early May. 

It’s a member of the crowfoot, or buttercup family, Ranunculaceae which means this plant is not an actual crocus. The genus Crocus is a member of the monocot family Iridaceae. It is found in the Prairie provinces and south into the Great Plains of the United States. This species has had several scientific name changes over the years with the most recent name being Pulsatilla nuttalliana (DC) Berch ex J. Presl., thanks to a publication by Dr. Sergei Mosyakin in 2016.

Some work conducted a little closer to home, are a couple of papers by Dr. Vladimir Kricsfalusy at the University of Saskatchewan. This work examines the life cycle of the plant and its distribution in the province.

Kricsfalusy, V. 2016. Variations in the life cycle of Anemone patens L. (Ranunculaceae) in wild populations of Canada. Plants 5(3): 29.

Kricsfalusy, V. 2019. Distribution of prairie pasqueflower in Saskatchewan. Blue Jay 77.2: 22-29. 

If you haven’t had a chance to see this plant in person, now is the time, and there is no better place to find them in Saskatoon than at the Meewasin’s Crocus Prairie in the northeast of the city. Plan an afternoon to take a stroll and watch the return of Spring.