Horizontal stems long-creeping at or near the surface of the soil, ±leafy when aerial; upright stems arising near the base or along the length of the horizontal ones, herbaceous, unarmed, rarely with a few bristles, 1.5-5 dm, bearing 2-5 long-petiolate 3-foliolate lvs with oblanceolate stipules; lfls rhombic-ovate to obovate, 4-8 cm, acute or acuminate, sharply toothed especially beyond the middle, tending to be entire along the cuneate lower portion; peduncle terminal, 1-3-fld, occasionally 1 or 2 additional fls arising from the axils; pedicels usually with a few stipitate glands; pet white, seldom pink, 4-8 mm; fr dark red, 5-10 mm thick, only tardily separating from the spongy receptacle; 2n=14, 28. Damp woods and bogs; Lab. to Yukon and B.C., s. to N.H., W.Va., Ind., Colo., and Wash. May-July. (R. triflorus)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.