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English cinquefoil, potentille d'angleterre, trailing cinquefoil, trailing tormentil, wood cinquefoil

Mono cinquefoil, Pennsylvania cinquefoil, silky cinquefoil, strigose cinquefoil

Caudex branches

sometimes sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

soon becoming prostrate, ± flagelliform, usually openly branched, eventually rooting at some nodes, (0.3–)1.5–7+ dm.

decumbent to ascending, (0.2–)0.5–1.5(–2.2) dm.

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.

usually palmate, rarely also ternate on same plant or subpalmate, (1–)2–6(–8) cm;

petiole (0.5–)1–2.5 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, ± appressed, 0.5–1.2 mm, stiff, verrucose, crisped hairs common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to abundant but usually obscured;

leaflets (3–)5–7, proximalmost separated by 0–2 mm, central ± obovate, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) × (0.3–)0.5–0.8(–1) cm, petiolules 0–1 mm, distal 3/4 to nearly whole margin incised 3/4+ to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, (2–)3–6(–10) mm, apical tufts 0.5 mm, abaxial surfaces white, long hairs common to abundant, cottony-crisped hairs dense, short hairs and glands absent or obscured, adaxial grayish green, long hairs abundant, 0.5–1.5 mm, ± stiff, short-crisped (rarely ± cottony) hairs sparse to common, glands absent or sparse.

Cauline leaves

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.

1–3.

Inflorescences

solitary flowers at stolon nodes.

(1–)3–10(–20)-flowered, congested or ± elongating in fruit, branch angle 5–30°.

Pedicels

(1–)3–10(–17) cm.

0.2–0.7 cm, proximal to 1.3 cm.

Flowers

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 narrowly elliptic, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) × 0.5–1 mm;

hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;

sepals 2–4(–5) mm, apex obtuse to bluntly acute, glands sparse, obscured;

petals pale yellow, not overlapping, 2–4 × 2–3 mm, ± equal to sepals (slightly longer than in Inyo County);

filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

carpels 30–50, styles 1–1.2 mm.

Achenes

1–1.5(–1.8) mm, ± smooth.

1–1.4 mm.

Rootstocks

± erect, stout to slender, 1–4 cm.

2n

= 28, 56 (Europe).

Potentilla anglica

Potentilla pseudosericea

Phenology Flowering May–Aug(–Nov). Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist flats and slopes, mainly on acidic soil Alpine fellfields, moist gravel, talus, on dolomite and quartzite
Elevation 0–1200 m (0–3900 ft) 3200–3600 m (10500–11800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ME; NY; OR; PA; UT; WA; BC; NL; NS; QC; SPM; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Potentilla pseudosericea is currently confirmed only from the central Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater and White mountains of California (B. Ertter 2008). The species is similar to P. modesta but has a more tightly strigose, silvery vestiture and more numerous and deeply incised leaflets.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 135. FNA vol. 9, p. 209.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Potentilla Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rubricaules
Sibling taxa
P. albiflora, P. ambigens, P. anachoretica, P. angelliae, P. anserina, P. arenosa, P. argentea, P. arizonica, P. basaltica, P. bicrenata, P. biennis, P. biflora, P. bimundorum, P. bipinnatifida, P. brevifolia, P. breweri, P. bruceae, P. brunnescens, P. canadensis, P. concinna, P. cottamii, P. crantzii, P. crebridens, P. crinita, P. cristae, P. demotica, P. drummondii, P. effusa, P. elegans, P. erecta, P. flabellifolia, P. fragiformis, P. furcata, P. glaucophylla, P. gracilis, P. grayi, P. hickmanii, P. hippiana, P. holmgrenii, P. hookeriana, P. hyparctica, P. inclinata, P. intermedia, P. jepsonii, P. johnstonii, P. lasiodonta, P. litoralis, P. macounii, P. millefolia, P. modesta, P. morefieldii, P. multijuga, P. multisecta, P. nana, P. newberryi, P. nivea, P. norvegica, P. ovina, P. paucijuga, P. pedersenii, P. pensylvanica, P. plattensis, P. pseudosericea, P. pulchella, P. pulcherrima, P. recta, P. reptans, P. rhyolitica, P. rimicola, P. rivalis, P. robbinsiana, P. rubella, P. rubricaulis, P. sanguinea, P. saximontana, P. sierrae-blancae, P. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, P. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, P. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
P. albiflora, P. ambigens, P. anachoretica, P. angelliae, P. anglica, P. anserina, P. arenosa, P. argentea, P. arizonica, P. basaltica, P. bicrenata, P. biennis, P. biflora, P. bimundorum, P. bipinnatifida, P. brevifolia, P. breweri, P. bruceae, P. brunnescens, P. canadensis, P. concinna, P. cottamii, P. crantzii, P. crebridens, P. crinita, P. cristae, P. demotica, P. drummondii, P. effusa, P. elegans, P. erecta, P. flabellifolia, P. fragiformis, P. furcata, P. glaucophylla, P. gracilis, P. grayi, P. hickmanii, P. hippiana, P. holmgrenii, P. hookeriana, P. hyparctica, P. inclinata, P. intermedia, P. jepsonii, P. johnstonii, P. lasiodonta, P. litoralis, P. macounii, P. millefolia, P. modesta, P. morefieldii, P. multijuga, P. multisecta, P. nana, P. newberryi, P. nivea, P. norvegica, P. ovina, P. paucijuga, P. pedersenii, P. pensylvanica, P. plattensis, P. pulchella, P. pulcherrima, P. recta, P. reptans, P. rhyolitica, P. rimicola, P. rivalis, P. robbinsiana, P. rubella, P. rubricaulis, P. sanguinea, P. saximontana, P. sierrae-blancae, P. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, P. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, P. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
Name authority Laicharding: Veg. Europ. 1: 475. (1790) Rydberg: Monogr. N. Amer. Potentilleae, 98, plate 36, figs. 1–5. (1898)
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