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

Beringian cinquefoil, yurtsev's cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± densely tufted.
Caudex branches

stout, usually columnar, sometimes sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

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).

erect, (0.2–)0.3–1.5(–2) dm, lengths 1.5–2.5(–3.5) 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

(1–)2–10(–15) cm;

petiole (0.5–)1–5(–12) cm, long hairs common to dense, ± ascending to loosely appressed, sometimes spreading, 1–2 mm, ± soft, smooth, crisped/short-cottony hairs usually sparse, sometimes absent or common, glands absent, sparse, or obscured;

leaflets separate to slightly overlapping, central obovate or obtriangular, (0.5–)1–2(–3) × (0.4–)0.8–1.5(–2) cm, sessile or subsessile, base cuneate, margins revolute, distal (1/3–)1/2–2/3(–3/4) incised 1/2–2/3(–3/4) to midvein, teeth 2–3(–4) per side, usually ± distant, surfaces somewhat to more often strongly dissimilar, abaxial yellowish or grayish white to white, long hairs 0.8–1.5 mm, cottony-crisped hairs ± dense, adaxial green to grayish green, long hairs sparse to ± abundant, other hairs usually absent.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1(–2).

Inflorescences

(10–)20–70+-flowered.

usually 1(–2)-flowered, rarely to 5-flowered.

Pedicels

0.2–1(–2) cm.

(0.5–)2–4 cm in flower, to 5 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 elliptic-lanceolate to ovate, (3–)4–6(–7) × (0.8–)1.2–2(–2.5) mm, (1/2–)2/3 to as wide as sepals, margins revolute, rarely flat, red glands absent;

hypanthium 2.5–4 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6(–7) mm, apex subacute;

petals (5–)6–9 × (5–)7–9 mm, significantly longer than sepals;

filaments 1–1.3 mm, anthers 0.4–0.6 mm;

carpels 30–40, apical hairs absent, styles narrowly columnar to conic-tapered, papillate-swollen on proximal 1/5(–1/3), 0.9–1.1 mm.

Achenes

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

1.2–2 mm.

2n

= 28, 42, 49, 56 (Russian Far East).

Potentilla biennis

Potentilla subgorodkovii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring to summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, stream banks, ditches, seepages Dry alpine heaths, exposed ridges and summits, rock outcrops, scree and talus, dry tundra, acidic and calcareous bedrock
Elevation 400–3100 m (1300–10200 ft) 0–4300 m (0–14100 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; CO; MT; UT; WY; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia (Russian Far East, Sakha [Yakutia])
[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 name Potentilla subgorodkovii was coined for a presumed hybrid species resulting from P. crebridens × P. subvahliana; here it is applied in a collective meaning for plants combining characteristics from multiple species of the P. uniflora/villosa and P. nivea groups. Morphologically, this collective entity is much closer to the P. uniflora/villosa group than to the P. nivea group and is clearly different from primary hybrids and clones, which are often observed.

Potentilla subgorodkovii constitutes about half of what previously has been considered P. uniflora in Alaska and Yukon and is the only such entity fully confirmed south of northern British Columbia. These southern populations occur outside the range of possible parental members of the P. uniflora/villosa group and do not support the hybrid hypothesis. They may instead represent a distinct species, not yet described.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 140. FNA vol. 9, p. 204.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Niveae
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. sierrae-blancae, P. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, 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) Jurtzev: Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 78: 83. (1993)
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