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

Habit Plants densely tufted.
Caudex branches

stout, sometimes ± columnar, not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

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

ascending to erect, (0.2–)0.4–1.6(–2) dm, lengths 2–3 times basal leaves.

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.

1–6(–11) cm;

petiole 0.5–4(–9) cm, long hairs ± abundant, ascending to spreading, sometimes loosely appressed, 1–2.5 mm, soft to weak, smooth, crisped(/cottony) hairs absent or sparse, sometimes common, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets overlapping, central broadly obovate, 0.8–2(–2.5) × 0.8–1.5(–2.5) cm, sessile or subsessile, base broadly cuneate, margins strongly revolute, distal 1/2–2/3 incised ± 1/2 to midvein, teeth 2–3(–4) per side, distant, surfaces strongly dissimilar, abaxial grayish white, long hairs 1–2 mm, cottony-crisped hairs ± dense, adaxial usually dark green, sometimes grayish green, long hairs sparse to abundant, other hairs usually absent.

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.

(0–)1–2(–3).

Inflorescences

solitary flowers at stolon nodes.

1–2(–5)-flowered.

Pedicels

(1–)3–10(–17) cm.

1–2 cm in flower, to 5 cm in fruit.

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 ± oblong to ovate, 4–8(–10) × 1.8–3(–5) mm, 2/3 to as wide as sepals, margins revolute, sometimes flat, red glands absent;

hypanthium 3.5–4.5 mm diam.;

sepals 5–8 mm, apex ± acute;

petals 7–9 × 7–10 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments 0.8–1 mm, anthers 0.6–0.7 mm;

carpels 20–30, apical hairs sparse to abundant (straight), styles conic-columnar, ± papillate-swollen in less than proximal 1/5, or sometimes to 1/5, 0.8–1.1 mm.

Achenes

1–1.5(–1.8) mm, ± smooth.

0.9–1.2 mm.

Rootstocks

± erect, stout to slender, 1–4 cm.

2n

= 28, 56 (Europe).

= 28 (Russian Far East).

Potentilla anglica

Potentilla vulcanicola

Phenology Flowering May–Aug(–Nov). Flowering late spring to summer.
Habitat Moist flats and slopes, mainly on acidic soil Dry alpine heaths, ridge crests, rock outcrops, herb slopes, scree and talus, stabilized sand dunes, mainly on calcareous bedrock
Elevation 0–1200 m (0–3900 ft) 0–3100 m (0–10200 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
AK; NT; NU; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[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 vulcanicola is close morphologically to P. uniflora in the narrow sense and largely replaces it in southern and eastern Chukotka, Alaska, and northwestern Canada, where it reaches east of Mackenzie River on the coastal mainland and the westernmost islands (Banks and Victoria islands). Potentilla subgorodkovii and P. vulcanicola account for a major part of North American records of P. uniflora.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 135. FNA vol. 9, p. 203.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Potentilla Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Niveae
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. 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. wheeleri
Name authority Laicharding: Veg. Europ. 1: 475. (1790) Juzepczuk: Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 222. (1955)
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