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biennial cinquefoil, biennial or Greene's cinquefoil, Greene's cinquefoil

Drummond's cinquefoil

Glands

usually absent or inconspicuous, rarely conspicuous, uncolored.

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).

decumbent to nearly erect, 1.5–4.5(–6) dm.

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.

Basal leaves

sometimes 2-ranked, subpinnate to pinnate (proximal leaflets often doubled, distal leaflets confluent and/or decurrent), (4–)10–25 cm;

petiole 1–10(–15) cm, long hairs absent or sparse to abundant, appressed, 1–1.5 mm, usually stiff, short, crisped, and cottony hairs usually absent, glands absent or (regionally) abundant;

leaflets 5–9, on distal 1/10–1/2(–3/4) of leaf axis, separate to ± overlapping, largest ones obovate to cuneate, (1–)2–5 × (0.7–)1–3(–3.5) cm, margins flat, distal 1/2–3/4 unevenly, sometimes evenly, incised ± 1/2 to midvein (often with additional incisions nearly to midvein), undivided medial blade 3–15 mm wide, teeth 3–7 per side (sometimes secondarily toothed), linear to lanceolate, 3–10 mm, surfaces similar, green, not glaucous, long hairs nearly absent or sparse to common (sometimes restricted to abaxial veins), short, crisped, and cottony hairs usually absent, glands usually absent, sometimes regionally abundant.

Cauline leaves

1–3.

Inflorescences

(10–)20–70+-flowered.

3–15-flowered.

Pedicels

0.2–1(–2) cm.

1–3(–6.5) cm.

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 lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 3–5 × 1–1.6 mm, hairs usually sparse, appressed to ascending, glands usually absent, sometimes regionally sparse to common;

hypanthium (3–)4–6(–7) mm diam.;

sepals 5–10 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

petals (6–)7–12 × 5–10 mm;

filaments 2–3.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1 mm;

carpels (20–)25–40, styles filiform above papillate-swollen base, 2–3 mm.

Achenes

whitish or pale yellowish, 0.5–0.9 mm, smooth, without a corky protuberance.

1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 64, 92, 96, 98–108.

Potentilla biennis

Potentilla drummondii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, stream banks, ditches, seepages Moist to dry meadows and adjacent slopes, in conifer woodlands, alpine tundra communities
Elevation 400–3100 m (1300–10200 ft) 300–3000 m (1000–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

The present circumscription of Potentilla drummondii differs from that of B. Ertter (1992, 1993), which encompassed P. breweri and P. bruceae as varieties (see 28. P. bruceae discussion for details). The description above focuses on large, eglandular, subpinnate plants that occur in mountains from the central Sierra Nevada and northern Coast Ranges of California to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, east to southern Alberta. At least some collections previously identified as P. glaucophylla (as P. diversifolia Lehmann) from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska can be readily accommodated within this concept, as can collections from the Cabinet Mountains in Montana. The distinction between P. drummondii and subpalmate P. glaucophylla can be vague; in general, the proximalmost leaflets of P. glaucophylla are relatively small and often entire; in P. drummondii proximalmost leaflets are similar in size and dissection to other leaflets.

Pinnate-leaved regional variants merit further attention; in particular the smaller form described as Potentilla cascadensis, and glandular plants in the northern Coast Ranges of California. Relatively small plants forming uniform populations in the southern Sierra Nevada may represent stabilized hybrids with P. breweri.

The inclusion of Potentilla bruceae and P. drummondii in sect. Graciles differs from that of J. Clausen et al. (1940) and B. C. Johnston (1980, 1985), who allied both species with P. breweri in sect. Multijugae. Although subpalmate to subpinnate leaves are anomalous in primarily palmate sect. Graciles, doubled proximal leaflets and an indistinct transition between the rachis and axis of the pinnatisect terminal leaflet in these two species suggest that this state is derived from a palmate progenitor. Habit and petioles also are more compatible with sect. Graciles than sect. Multijugae.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 140. FNA vol. 9, p. 159.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Graciles
Sibling taxa
P. albiflora, P. ambigens, P. anachoretica, P. angelliae, P. anglica, P. anserina, P. arenosa, P. argentea, P. arizonica, P. basaltica, P. bicrenata, 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. 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
Synonyms P. cascadensis, P. drummondii var. cascadensis
Name authority Greene: Fl. Francisc., 65. (1891) Lehmann: Nov. Stirp. Pug. 2: 9. (1830)
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