Potentilla biennis |
Potentilla crantzii |
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biennial cinquefoil, biennial or Greene's cinquefoil, Greene's cinquefoil |
alpine cinquefoil, potentille de crantz |
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Habit | Plants tufted to ± matted; caudex branches usually short, stout, sometimes elongate, slender. | |
Stems | ascending to erect, (1–)2–6(–8.5) dm, hairs at base not stiff, not tubercle-based, glands sparse to abundant, conspicuous (to 1 mm, septate). |
ascending to erect, 0.5–2(–3) dm, lengths 1.5–3 times basal leaves. |
Leaves | ternate, (2–)4–12(–25) cm; petiole (1–)2–8(–20) cm, long hairs sparse to common, spreading to ascending, 0.5–1.5(–3) mm, weak, crisped hairs usually absent, glands sparse to abundant, conspicuous (to 1 mm, septate); leaflets 3, at tip of leaf axis, usually overlapping, largest ones mostly obovate or oval to nearly round, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × 0.3–3(–3.5) cm, distal 3/4 to ± whole margin evenly to unevenly incised 1/4–1/3(–1/2) to midvein, teeth 3–8(–13) per side, surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy, rarely glabrate, glands sparse to abundant at least abaxially. |
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Basal leaves | 2-ranked, usually palmate, sometimes ternate, 2–10(–15) cm; stipules: apex obtuse to truncate, rarely acute; petiole 0.5–6.5(–10) cm, long hairs usually ± sparse, usually ± ascending, sometimes spreading or appressed, 1–2.5 mm, weak to ± stiff, glands absent or sparse; leaflets 3–5, central obovate, 1.5–3(–3.5) × 0.8–1.5(–2) cm, petiolule 0–1 mm, margins flat, not lobed, distal 1/2–2/3 evenly incised 1/3–1/2 to midvein, teeth 3–4(–5) per side, not secondarily toothed, surfaces similar, green, not glaucous, hairs absent or sparse, rarely common, 0.8–1.5 mm, glands absent or sparse to abundant (fewer adaxially). |
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Inflorescences | (10–)20–70+-flowered. |
(2–)3–8(–12)-flowered. |
Pedicels | 0.2–1(–2) cm. |
straight, 1–3(–4) cm in flower, to 6 cm in fruit. |
Flowers | epicalyx bractlets narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or elliptic, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4.5) × 0.5–1.5(–2) mm; hypanthium (2–)3–4(–5.5) mm diam.; sepals (2–)3–5 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse; petals pale yellow to yellow, broadly oblanceolate to obovate, (1–)2–2.7 × 1.5 mm; stamens 10 or 15, filaments 0.5–1.2 mm, anthers 0.2–0.3 mm; carpels 40–100, styles 0.5–0.7 mm. |
epicalyx bractlets ovate or narrowly ovate, (1.5–)2.5–4 × (0.8–)1–1.3 mm, margins flat; hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.; sepals (3–)4–5(–6) mm, apex broadly acute; petals yellow, 4–7(–9) × 4–8 mm; filaments 1.8–2.2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.6 mm; carpels 30–40, styles columnar-filiform, not papillate-swollen proximally, 1–1.6 mm. |
Achenes | whitish or pale yellowish, 0.5–0.9 mm, smooth, without a corky protuberance. |
1.2 mm. |
2n | = 42; 28, 35, 49 (Europe). |
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Potentilla biennis |
Potentilla crantzii |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Moist meadows, stream banks, ditches, seepages | Herb meadows and slopes, usually on calcareous substrates, usually near coast |
Elevation | 400–3100 m (1300–10200 ft) | 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; YT
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NL; NU; ON; QC; Greenland; Eurasia [Reportedly introduced in s Australia] |
Discussion | Potentilla biennis may be recognized by its septate hairs with a round, terminal gland, which dominate the vestiture especially at the base of the plant. Stems are more commonly erect and leaflets rounder than those of P. rivalis. The species is most common along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada of California, across the Intermountain Region to the Rocky Mountains. All specimens seen by the authors from Baja California, Mexico, which were previously referred to P. biennis are now assigned to P. rivalis. J. Soják (1996) lectotypified Potentilla millegrana Engelmann ex Lehmann upon a collection of P. rivalis, thus preventing P. biennis from being a later taxonomic synonym. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Potentilla crantzii is primarily European, not restricted to coasts as in North America. The nomenclatural history is long and complex (A. Kurtto et al. in J. Jalas et al. 1972+, vol. 13), with P. alpestris and P. maculata in greatest historical use. The name P. ×protea Soják is available for presumed hybrids between P. crantzii and P. hyparctica. The emphasis on two-ranked leaves to distinguish Potentilla crantzii from P. verna follows J. Soják (pers. comm.). Some collections of P. crantzii from Newfoundland approach P. verna in their more elongate caudex branches and shorter stature. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 140. | FNA vol. 9, p. 190. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Fragaria crantzii, P. alpestris, P. crantzii var. hirta, P. flabellifolia var. hirta, P. langeana, P. maculata | |
Name authority | Greene: Fl. Francisc., 65. (1891) | (Crantz) Beck ex Fritsch: Excursionfl. Oesterreich 295. (1897) |
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