Potentilla argentea
Rosaceae tribe Potentilleae
hoary cinquefoil, potentille argentée, silver cinquefoil, silver-leaf cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil
mostly decumbent to ascending, 1–6 dm.
alternate, rarely opposite, pinnately (palmately) compound (simple in Alchemilla, Aphanes, and Chamaerhodos);
stipules persistent (absent in Chamaerhodos), adnate to petiole;
venation pinnate or palmate.
palmate.
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.
0.3–1.5(–2) cm.
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.
perianth and androecium perigynous;
epicalyx bractlets present, sometimes absent;
hypanthium usually patelliform, cupulate, or campanulate, sometimes turbinate, saucer-shaped, flat-bottomed, or subglobose to ellipsoid or ovoid;
torus flat to conic or turbinate, enlarged (absent or reduced in Alchemilla, Aphanes, and Chamaerhodos);
carpels 1–260, styles basal or lateral to subterminal, distinct;
ovules 1(or 2), basal.
aggregated achenes (achenes in Alchemilla and Aphanes);
torus sometimes fleshy;
styles deciduous or persistent, not elongate.
0.8–1.1 mm, smooth to lightly rugose.
= 14, 28, 35, 42, 56, 62 (Eurasia).
Potentilla argentea
Rosaceae tribe Potentilleae
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.)
Genera 14–22, species ca. 860 (14 genera, 189 species, including 1 hybrid, in the flora area).
The base chromosome number for Potentilleae is mostly x = 7 (8 in Alchemilla and Aphanes; 14 in Comarum).
Variation in the number of genera recognized in Potentilleae is due to differences in generic delimitation between D. Potter et al. (2007) and the authors of Potentilla and segregates here (see 9. Ivesia and 8. Potentilla for discussion). In the former, Duchesnea, Horkelia, Horkeliella, and Ivesia are included within Potentilla. Likewise, Aphanes is included within Alchemilla by Potter et al. while it is kept distinct here.
Potentilla and its segregates and Fragaria are host to Phragmidium rusts, but not the other genera of the tribe.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Shrubs; leaf lobe margins entire; achenes hirsute. | Dasiphora |
1. Herbs, perennial, sometimes annual or biennial, or subshrubs; leaf lobe margins or apices ± toothed, sometimes entire; achenes glabrous (sometimes ± hairy) | → 2 |
2. Petals 0, sepals 4; achenes 1, enclosed in dry, urceolate or subglobose to ellipsoid or ovoid hypanthia | → 3 |
2. Petals and sepals usually 5; achenes 1–260, usually aggregated (sometimes on elongating tori), usually in (± open) patelliform, cupulate, campanulate, or turbinate hypanthia (not enclosed in dry hypanthium) | → 4 |
3. Herbs perennial; leaves basal, blades reniform to orbiculate, palmately lobed, sometimes palmately compound; stamens 4. | Alchemilla |
3. Herbs annual; leaves cauline, blades cuneate, deeply divided into segments, each lobed; stamen 1(or 2). | Aphanes |
4. Leaves all or mostly basal or proximal (if cauline, deeply pinnatifid), ternate or 2–4-ternate (sometimes simple and coarsely toothed apically in Sibbaldia) | → 5 |
4. Leaves basal or cauline, the latter usually reduced distally, odd-pinnate to palmate, rarely ternate or ± bipinnate | → 9 |
5. Tori becoming red and fleshy in fruit; leaf margins serrate to crenate | → 6 |
5. Tori hemispheric (not enlarged or fleshy) in fruit or absent; leaf margins entire or (2–)3(–5)-toothed apically | → 7 |
6. Leaves ± doubly serrate or crenate; stolons leafy; inflorescences: flowers solitary, axillary at stolon nodes; petals yellow. | Duchesnea |
6. Leaves serrate to crenate; stolons not leafy; inflorescences 1–10-flowered, cymes, axillary from leaf rosettes; petals usually white. | Fragaria |
7. Leaves pinnately compound or simple and deeply pinnatifid, margins entire, stipules absent. | Chamaerhodos |
7. Leaves ternate, margins toothed apically, stipules persistent | → 8 |
8. Petals ± yellow; stamens 5. | Sibbaldia |
8. Petals usually white; stamens 20(–30). | Sibbaldiopsis |
9. Petals deep red to purple, rarely pink, shorter than sepals; tori enlarged and spongy at maturity; horizontal stems sometimes floating, wetland habitats. | Comarum |
9. Petals yellow to white, rarely pink or red (then equal to or longer than sepals); tori not enlarged and spongy at maturity; stems erect to decumbent, not horizontal or floating even if in wetlands | → 10 |
10. Anthers dehiscing by continuous marginal slit (with a single theca); styles sub-basal. | Drymocallis |
10. Anthers dehiscing longitudinally; styles subterminal to lateral | → 11 |
11. Hypanthium patelliform to campanulate or cupulate to turbinate (not flat-bottomed); filaments not forming tube; petals white to yellow, sometimes reddish or pink tinged | → 12 |
11. Hypanthium ± cupulate or bluntly campanulate and flat-bottomed; filaments forming tube; petals usually white, sometimes pink-tinged, rose-veined, or cream | → 13 |
12. Plants not aromatic; leaves ± cordate or reniform to narrowly elliptic in outline, leaflets 3–15(–41); petals oblanceolate or obovate to obcordate to nearly round, rarely elliptic; carpels 3–260. | Potentilla |
12. Plants often aromatic; leaves planar to cylindric, leaflets (3–)7–161; petals linear or narrowly oblanceolate to obovate, sometimes obcordate; carpels 1–20(–40). | Ivesia |
13. Stamens 10; leaflets (3–)5–41. | Horkelia |
13. Stamens 20; leaflets 30–70. | Horkeliella |
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