Prenanthes trifoliolata (Cass.) Fernald
Gall of the earth, three-leaved rattlesnake-root, three-leaved rattle
Gall-of-the-earth is a North American native. It favors dry woodlands.
Plants: 12–59″ (30–150 cm) high, with green stems sometimes mottled with purple. They often branch into multiple flower stalks at the top.
Leaves: 1–4½ ⨉ ⅜–6″ (3–12 ⨉ 1–15 cm), deltate, hastate, or ovate. No two leaves look the same. The leaves have fairly long petioles, and the portion of the stem close to each leaf is winged.
Flowers: Cream-colored, sometimes tinged with green or pink. Maybe it is just coincidence, but every time I see them, the flowers look kind of frumpy. They are trumpet-shaped and nodding, like little bells. Flowers appear from September to October.
Fruits: Tan to brown cypselae are ⅛–3/16″ (4–5 mm) long, with 8-11 ribs and pale yellow pappi that are ¼–5/16″ (7–9 mm) long.
Habitats: Woods, thickets, open slopes.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 294
Nabalus trifoliolatus Cass.
7/20/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.6 × 9.7 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 14 cm) 
7/20/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/14/2010 · Nashua River Boat Ramp, Rte. 119, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
8/28/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.5 × 8.8 cm) 
8/2/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.6 × 9.8 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/28/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
8/2/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 9″ (18 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) 
6/2/2013 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 8″ (16 × 19 cm) 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 2½ × 2″ (6.5 × 5.9 cm) 
7/31/2015 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 7″ (16 × 18 cm) 
7/31/2015 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
8/14/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 8″ (15 × 19 cm) 
8/14/2010 · Nashua River Boat Ramp, Rte. 119, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 4½″ (10 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 5″ (16 × 13 cm) 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
6/4/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 2½ × 2½″ (7.3 × 7 cm) 
7/20/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 4½″ (7.9 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/25/2019 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
8/2/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/20/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (14 × 22 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 5″ (16 × 12 cm) 
9/4/2016 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
9/4/2016 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 3″ (9.7 × 7.9 cm) 
7/31/2015 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 7″ (14 × 18 cm) 
7/20/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 9″ (20 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/24/2023 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
6/4/2021 · Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, Woolwich, Maine · ≈ 7 × 5″ (18 × 13 cm) 
9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 14 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Prenanthes | From Greek prenes, “prone, prostrate, with face downward,” and anthos, “flower” |
| Species | trifoliolata | “Three-leaved” |
Prenanthes trifoliolata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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