The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Sierra blanca cinquefoil

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).

0.2–1 dm, lengths 1–1.5 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.

Basal leaves

palmate, 2–8 cm;

petiole 0.5–5 cm, straight hairs sparse to abundant, sometimes absent, ± appressed, 2–3 mm, usually ± stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent;

leaflets (3–)4–5, at tip of leaf axis, separate, proximal pair separated from others by 0(–1) mm of leaf axis, central leaflets narrowly cuneate-oblanceolate, 0.8–2.2 × 0.2–0.5 cm, petiolules 0(–1) mm, less than distal 1/4 of margins incised 1/2–3/4 to midvein, teeth 1(–2) per side, ± separate, 1–2 mm, surfaces similar, green, straight hairs mostly absent (except on margins), appressed, 1–2 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent, rarely sparse.

Inflorescences

(10–)20–70+-flowered.

solitary flowers or 2–3-flowered.

Pedicels

0.2–1(–2) cm.

1–4 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 narrowly to widely elliptic-ovate, 2–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.;

sepals 3–5 mm, apex obtuse to acute;

petals 5–7 × 4–6 mm;

filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.4–0.8 mm;

carpels 5–20, styles 2 mm.

Achenes

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

1.5 mm, smooth.

Potentilla biennis

Potentilla sierrae-blancae

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, stream banks, ditches, seepages Windswept barren ridges, subalpine grasslands, rock outcrops
Elevation 400–3100 m (1300–10200 ft) 2400–3700 m (7900–12100 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
NM
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Potentilla sierrae-blancae is restricted to the White Mountains, Lincoln and Otero counties. P. A. Rydberg (1898, 1908d) and B. C. Johnston (1985) placed P. sierrae-blancae in sect. (or group) Aureae; the species fits well in sect. Concinnae, combining the few-flowered inflorescence of P. angelliae with the tridentate leaflets of P. bicrenata and P. johnstonii.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 140. FNA vol. 9, p. 182.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Concinnae
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. 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. 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
Name authority Greene: Fl. Francisc., 65. (1891) Wooton & Rydberg: in P. A. Rydberg, Monogr. N. Amer. Potentilleae, 2: 57, plate 18, figs. 3–5. (1898)
Web links