Potentilla biennis |
Potentilla gracilis |
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biennial cinquefoil, biennial or Greene's cinquefoil, Greene's cinquefoil |
graceful cinquefoil, northwest cinquefoil, potentille grêle, slender cinquefoil |
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Glands | usually absent or inconspicuous, uncolored. |
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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–)2–7(–12) dm. |
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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 | usually not in ranks, palmate, rarely subpalmate, 4–40(–55) cm; petiole (2–)3–25(–45) cm, long hairs sparse to dense, appressed to spreading, 0.5–2(–3) mm, weak to stiff, short hairs absent, crisped hairs usually absent, cottony hairs absent or sparse to abundant (var. owyheensis), glands absent or sparse; leaflets 5–9, on tip, rarely less than distal 1/10, of leaf axis, separate to overlapping, largest ones oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, (1.5–)2–9(–11) × (0.7–)1.5–4 cm, margins flat to revolute, distal (2/3–)3/4 to nearly whole length evenly to unevenly incised 1/4–3/4+ to midvein, undivided medial blade 2–20 mm wide, teeth (4–)6–10(–11) per side (sometimes secondarily toothed), linear to broadly lanceolate, 2–20(–35) mm, surfaces ± similar to strongly dissimilar, abaxial green or pale green to white, usually not glaucous, long hairs sparse to abundant (sometimes mostly on veins), short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to abundant, cottony hairs absent or sparse to dense, glands usually absent or obscured to sparse, sometimes common, adaxial dark green to grayish, long hairs sparse to ± abundant, rarely absent or dense, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent or sparse to abundant (var. owyheensis), glands usually absent or sparse to sometimes common. |
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Cauline leaves | 1–4(–5). |
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Inflorescences | (10–)20–70+-flowered. |
(4–)10–50(–60)-flowered. |
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Pedicels | 0.2–1(–2) cm. |
0.3–3 cm. |
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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 linear to narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, 2–6(–8) × 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm, hairs sparse to abundant, rarely dense, ± appressed to ascending, rarely spreading, glands usually absent or inconspicuous; hypanthium 3.5–6 mm diam.; sepals 4–8(–10) mm, apex acute to long acuminate; petals (3–)4–10(–11) × (3–)4–10(–12) mm; filaments (1–)1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, anthers 0.6–1.2(–1.6) mm; carpels (15–)20–50, styles ± tapered, papillate-swollen proximally, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) mm. |
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Achenes | whitish or pale yellowish, 0.5–0.9 mm, smooth, without a corky protuberance. |
1–1.8 mm. |
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Potentilla biennis |
Potentilla gracilis |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Moist meadows, stream banks, ditches, seepages | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 400–3100 m (1300–10200 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; YT
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AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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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.) |
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora). Because variation within Potentilla gracilis and other members of sect. Graciles is still far from resolved, taxonomic recognition is given to only the most distinctive extremes and that mostly at the varietal level. The goal is to call attention to areas that need study rather than to provide a full resolution, and even this leaves out some large, widespread populations in both keys and descriptions. The taxonomic placement of some available names, such as P. glomerata A. Nelson, P. longipedunculata Rydberg, and P. macropetala Rydberg, likewise remains unresolved. The vouchers for the report by M. L. Fernald (1950) of Potentilla gracilis and P. pulcherrima from New Hampshire are presumably specimens collected in Coos County by A. S. Pease (NEBC). The three collections differ from one another, corresponding most closely to var. fastigiata, var. flabelliformis, and P. pulcherrima. The presence of such diversity in the same meadow, all as disjunct occurrences, suggests an artificial, non-persisting introduction. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 140. | FNA vol. 9, p. 153. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Graciles | ||||||||||||||||
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Name authority | Greene: Fl. Francisc., 65. (1891) | Douglas ex Hooker: Bot. Mag. 57: plate 2984. (1830) | ||||||||||||||||
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