Potentilla anglica
Potentilla basaltica
English cinquefoil, potentille d'angleterre, trailing cinquefoil, trailing tormentil, wood cinquefoil
Black Rock potentilla, Soldier Meadow or Black Rock cinquefoil, soldier meadows cinquefoil
soon becoming prostrate, ± flagelliform, usually openly branched, eventually rooting at some nodes, (0.3–)1.5–7+ dm.
± prostrate, sometimes ascending in supporting vegetation, 1.5–5 dm, lengths 2–3 times basal leaves.
± persistent, ternate or palmate, 2–10(–12) cm;
petiole 1–7(–8) cm, long hairs sparse to abundant, appressed, 0.5–1 mm, stiff, glands absent;
leaflets 3–5, central ± obovate to cuneate, 1–3(–3.5) × 0.8–2(–2.5) cm, distal ± 1/2 of margin incised 1/4–1/3(–1/2) to midvein, teeth 2–4 per side, surfaces similar, green, sparsely to moderately hairy.
pinnate with distal leaflets ± confluent, 5–12(–18) × 1–1.5(–2) cm;
petiole 0.5–1(–1.5) cm, straight hairs absent, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;
primary lateral leaflets (5–)10–15(–20) per side, on nearly whole leaf axis, ± overlapping, largest ones (or leaflet lobes) elliptic, 0.4–1(–2) × 0.2–0.5(–1) cm, simple and entire or 2(–3)-fid to base (sometimes shallowly toothed as well), segments 1–2(–3), narrowly to broadly elliptic, 4–10(–20) × (1–)2–3 mm, apical tufts absent or less than 0.5 mm, surfaces green, glaucous, straight hairs absent or sparse to common, tightly appressed, 0.5 mm or less, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.
2–3(–4) proximal to 1st flowering or branching node, usually well expanded at anthesis, usually ternate, 2–6(–10) cm;
petiole 0.3–4(–8) cm;
leaflets (3–)5, ± resembling or narrower than those of basal leaves, narrowly cuneate, 1–2(–3.5) × 0.8–2(–2.5) cm, apex rounded to obtuse.
2–4.
solitary flowers at stolon nodes.
(5–)10–20-flowered, loosely cymose.
(1–)3–10(–17) cm.
0.8–3(–4) cm, straight to ± recurved in fruit.
4(–5)-merous;
epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic to oblong or ovate, 3–4(–7) × 1–1.5 mm, smaller than to slightly larger than sepals;
hypanthium 2–4 mm diam.;
sepals (3–)4–6 mm, apex broadly acute or acuminate;
petals 6–9 × 5–9 mm, apex ± retuse;
stamens 15–20, filaments 0.8–1.2 mm, anthers 0.8–1.2 mm;
carpels 20–50, styles 0.9–1.5 mm.
epicalyx bractlets lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 1.5–2.5(–3) × 1 mm;
hypanthium 2–5 mm diam.;
sepals (3–)4–5(–6) mm, apex acute to acuminate;
petals (3.5–)4.5–6.5 × 2.5–4 mm;
filaments 1.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.8 mm;
carpels 3–10, styles 2–2.5 mm.
1–1.5(–1.8) mm, ± smooth.
1.8–2.2 mm, smooth to ± rugose, not carunculate.
± erect, stout to slender, 1–4 cm.
= 28, 56 (Europe).
Potentilla anglica
Potentilla basaltica
Potentilla anglica apparently is a product of hybridization involving P. erecta and P. reptans (B. Matfield and J. R. Ellis 1972) that has become stabilized and distinct from both parents. In Europe, it forms back-cross hybrids with both P. erecta (P. ×suberecta Zimmeter) and P. reptans (P. ×mixta Nolte); these hybrids are not known from North America. A garden hybrid supposedly between P. anglica and P. nepalensis Hooker (known as P. ×tonguei Mallett) was found in Allegany State Park, New York, but this was likely cultivated rather than naturalized.
Potentilla anglica probably was introduced even in Newfoundland (A. Kurtto et al. in J. Jalas et al. 1972+, vol. 13), contrary to the view expressed by M. L. Fernald (1950).
The name Potentilla procumbens Sibthorp was previously used for this species; that is a superfluous and illegitimate name.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Potentilla basaltica is very distinctive in its glaucous, highly divided cylindric leaves with leaflets arranged in four ranks. The leaves strongly resemble those of some species of Ivesia, especially I. kingii S. Watson, but molecular analysis (B. Ertter et al. 1998) confirms a relationship with other members of sect. Multijugae.
Potentilla basaltica is known from only two localities, one in Lassen County, California, and the other in Humboldt County, Nevada. Both populations are highly localized, and P. basaltica is a candidate for federal listing as well as of conservation concern in both states.
The epithet basaltica was chosen as a reference to the Black Rock Desert, not habitat.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
