Potentilla argentea
Potentilla elegans
hoary cinquefoil, potentille argentée, silver cinquefoil, silver-leaf cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil
elegant cinquefoil, silverweed
mostly decumbent to ascending, 1–6 dm.
erect, 0.1–0.5 dm, lengths 1–2 times leaves.
palmate.
not in ranks, ternate, 0.5–2.5(–4) cm;
stipules: apex acute to obtuse;
petiole 0.2–1.8(–2.5) cm, long hairs ± sparse, ± spreading, 0.2–1 mm, weak, glands sparse to abundant;
leaflets 3, central obtriangular to flabellate, 0.5–0.7(–1) × 0.5–0.7 cm, petiolule 0–0.5 mm, margins flat, distal 3/4+ deeply 3–5-lobed (sinuses extending 2/3–3/4 to midvein), lobes unevenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 1–3(–5) per lobe, surfaces similar, green, brownish, or reddish, hairs absent or sparse, 0.2–0.5 mm, glands sparse to common (also densely punctate-glandular).
2–9, proximal ones 2–7(–10) cm;
proximal petioles 1–4(–7) cm, long hairs absent or sparse, ± ascending, 1–2 mm, soft, short and crisped hairs absent or obscured, cottony hairs dense, glands absent or obscured;
leaflets 5(–7), central one ± oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3 × 0.3–1(–1.3) cm, margins revolute, distal 1/2–2/3 evenly or unevenly incised 1/2–3/4+ to midvein, teeth 2–3 per side (more if lobed or secondarily toothed), surfaces strongly dissimilar, abaxial white, long hairs ± sparse (mostly on veins), 1–2 mm, weak, short and crisped hairs absent or obscured, cottony hairs dense, glands absent or obscured, adaxial long hairs absent or sparse to common, short or crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.
10–80-flowered.
1-flowered.
0.3–1.5(–2) cm.
straight or ± curved, 0–0.5(–2) cm in flower, to 5 cm in fruit.
epicalyx bractlets oblong to narrowly ovate, 1.5–3 × 0.7–1.2 mm, lengths 2/3–1 times sepals;
sepals 2–4.5 mm, apex ± acute;
petals (2–)2.5–4 × 1.5–3 mm;
filaments 0.8–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm;
carpels 30–60, styles 0.6–0.9 mm, often strongly papillate-swollen proximally.
epicalyx bractlets linear, elliptic, or obovate, 2–2.2 × 0.8–1.1 mm, margins flat;
hypanthium 2.5–3.5 mm diam.;
sepals 2.2–2.5 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse;
petals pale yellow, 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 mm;
filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.4 mm;
carpels 20–25, styles ± columnar, not papillate-swollen proximally, 0.7–0.9 mm.
0.8–1.1 mm, smooth to lightly rugose.
1.2 mm.
= 14, 28, 35, 42, 56, 62 (Eurasia).
= 14, 28 (Russian Far East).
Potentilla argentea
Potentilla elegans
The bright, silvery vestiture of the leaves quickly distinguishes Potentilla argentea from P. inclinata and P. intermedia. Although treated here as introduced, some (P. A. Rydberg 1898; P. A. Werner and J. D. Soule 1976) considered P. argentea to be probably native in eastern North America.
The Potentilla argentea species group is an amphi- or apomictic polyploid complex that has been the subject of numerous cytological, sexual, and molecular studies (for example, A. Müntzing and G. Müntzing 1945; A. Müntzing 1958; J. Paule et al. 2011). Taxonomic treatments have ranged from a highly polymorphic single species to an abundance of species, varieties, and forms (T. Wolf 1908). This treatment is at the conservative end of the spectrum. Some New England references (R. C. Bean et al. 1967; F. C. Seymour 1969) distinguish plants with densely white-hairy adaxial leaflet surfaces as var. pseudocalabra Th. Wolf, a name based on plants from southeastern Europe. Molecular analysis by Paule et al. supports the conclusion by Wolf that the variety consists of intermediates between P. argentea and P. calabra Tenore. The optimum taxonomic disposition of var. pseudocalabra, and whether any North American plants are properly included, remains to be determined.
Potentilla argentea has been reported as an active agent in treating cirrhosis of the liver (N. T. Starostenko and V. N. Starostenko 1971).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
For present purposes, Potentilla elegans is treated in sect. Aureae, as was done by B. C. Johnston (1985), largely on the basis of pragmatism. J. Soják (1994) places the species instead in sect. Dumosae Soják, which otherwise comprises several Himalayan species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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