Potentilla anglica
Potentilla townsendii
English cinquefoil, potentille d'angleterre, trailing cinquefoil, trailing tormentil, wood cinquefoil
Townsend's cinquefoil
absent or inconspicuous, uncolored.
soon becoming prostrate, ± flagelliform, usually openly branched, eventually rooting at some nodes, (0.3–)1.5–7+ dm.
ascending to nearly erect, (1–)2–5(–7.5) dm.
± 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 not in ranks, palmate, rarely subpalmate, (2–)5–20(–30) cm;
petiole (1–)2–15(–25) cm, long hairs usually absent or sparse and appressed, sometimes common and spreading, 1–1.5 mm, stiff, short, crisped, and cottony hairs absent, glands absent;
leaflets 5–7(–8), usually on tip, rarely on less than distal 1/10, of leaf axis, separate, largest ones narrowly oblanceolate-elliptic, (1.5–)2–5(–6) × 0.5–1.2(–1.5) cm, margins flat, distal (1/4–)1/2–3/4 evenly incised 1/4–1/3 to midvein, undivided medial blade 4–11 mm wide, teeth (2–)4–8(–9) per side, mostly broadly lanceolate, 1–2 mm, surfaces similar, green, not glaucous, long hairs usually absent or limited to veins and margins, short, crisped, and cottony hairs absent, glands absent.
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.
solitary flowers at stolon nodes.
(5–)10–20(–25)-flowered.
(1–)3–10(–17) cm.
0.7–3(–3.5) cm.
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 to elliptic, (2–)2.5–5(–6) × 0.5–1(–1.4) mm, hairs sparse, ± appressed, glands absent;
hypanthium 3.5–5 mm diam.;
sepals 4–8(–9) mm, apex acute to long acuminate;
petals 5–10 × 5–10(–12) mm;
filaments 1–3 mm, anthers (0.5–)0.6–1 mm;
carpels 15–30, styles filiform above papillate-swollen base, (1–)1.5–2 mm.
1–1.5(–1.8) mm, ± smooth.
1.1–1.6 mm.
± erect, stout to slender, 1–4 cm.
= 28, 56 (Europe).
Potentilla anglica
Potentilla townsendii
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.)
Although previously applied only to collections from Chihuahua, Mexico, Potentilla townsendii is here used to accommodate most plants from Arizona and New Mexico previously placed in P. glaucophylla (as P. diversifolia Lehmann). Plants have narrow, shallowly toothed leaflets; stems, petioles, and leaflet veins that are often reddish; and larger anthers than P. glaucophylla. As now circumscribed, P. townsendii is known in the United States primarily from the White Mountains of east-central Arizona and the high mountains of northern New Mexico. Whether these plants are truly conspecific with those from Chihuahua, Mexico, remains to be confirmed. The species might also occur in Colorado and Utah, but the best disposition of these problematic populations is uncertain. Somewhat hairy plants with subpalmate leaves are interpreted as introgression from P. hippiana or other species.
(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
