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bipinnate cinquefoil, potentille bipinnatifide, tansy cinquefoil

Caudex branches

often sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

ascending to erect, (1–)2–5 dm.

ascending to nearly erect, 0.3–1.5 dm.

Basal leaves

subpinnate to subpalmate, (6–)10–25 cm;

petiole (2–)5–15 cm, long hairs dense, appressed, 1–2 mm, soft to ± stiff, short hairs absent, crisped hairs sparse, glands absent, sparse, or obscured;

leaflets 2–3 per side, on distal 1/6–1/3(–1/2) of leaf axis, separate to ± overlapping, terminal ones oblanceolate, (2–)3–6(–10) × 1–2(–3.5) cm, margins revolute, incised 3/4+ to midvein, undivided medial blade 1.5–6 mm wide, teeth 5–8 per side, ± linear, surfaces ± to strongly dissimilar, abaxial usually white, rarely grayish, long hairs abundant especially on veins, 1–2 mm, ± weak, short hairs absent or obscured, cottony (and crisped) hairs ± dense, glands absent or obscured, adaxial green to grayish, long hairs sparse to abundant, loosely appressed, 0.5–1.5 mm, short hairs absent or sparse, crisped and/or cottony hairs sparse to common, glands sparse to common.

often both ternate and palmate or subpalmate on same plant, 1–5 cm;

petiole 0.5–3 cm, long hairs sparse to dense, ± appressed to ascending, (1–)1.5–2.5 mm, soft to ± weak, smooth, short hairs absent or sparse, crisped(/cottony) hairs sparse to common, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets 3–5, proximalmost separated by 0–2 mm, central broadly elliptic to obovate, 0.5–2 × 0.3–1.4 cm, petiolules ± 1 mm, distal 2/3 to nearly whole margin incised 2/3–3/5+ to midvein, teeth (2–)3–4 per side, 3–5 mm, apical tufts 1–1.5 mm, abaxial surfaces grayish white to white, long hairs common to abundant, cottony(/crisped) hairs dense, short hairs and glands absent or obscured, adaxial grayish green to gray, long hairs abundant, 1–2 mm, soft (grading to cottony), short/crisped/cottony hairs common to abundant, glands sparse to common.

Cauline leaves

2–4.

0–1.

Inflorescences

(4–)10–50(–100)-flowered, congested or elongating in fruit.

1–3(–4)-flowered, open, branch angle 20–40°.

Pedicels

0.2–0.8 cm (proximal to 2 cm).

1–1.5 cm, proximal to 3 cm.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 2.5–6 mm, lengths ± 2/3 times sepals, margins flat;

hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.;

sepals 3–6 mm, apex ± acute, abaxial surfaces: venation indistinct, glands absent, sparse, or obscured;

petals yellow, 3–5 × 3–4 mm, lengths ± equal to sepals;

filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

carpels 50–80, styles papillate-swollen in proximal 1/2–3/4+, 1–1.2 mm.

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to ovate, 3–4 × 1–2 mm;

hypanthium 2.5–3.5 mm diam.;

sepals 3.5–5 mm, apex obtuse to subacute, glands sparse to common, often ± obscured;

petals pale yellow, often overlapping, 5–7 × 5–8(–9) mm, distinctly longer than sepals;

filaments 0.5–1.5 mm, anthers ± 0.5 mm;

carpels 30–60, styles 0.8–0.9 mm.

Achenes

1–1.2 mm, smooth to faintly rugose.

1–1.3 mm.

2n

= 56.

Potentilla bipinnatifida

Potentilla uschakovii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open shortgrass prairie, alkaline bottoms, streamsides in sagebrush, disturbed sites Dry tundra meadows, gravel and loam ridges, loam flats, sandy bluffs
Elevation 10–3400 m (0–11200 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY; AB; MB; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NT; NU; Greenland; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla bipinnatifida is similar to P. litoralis in habit and leaf dissection but has flat, silky epicalyx bractlets and sepals with no evident glands. Vestiture is generally silkier, and the silvery to bicolor leaves are white-cottony abaxially. The two species are sympatric in the plains of Canada, with some intergradation; P. bipinnatifida is also common south to Colorado, where it is found in intermontane meadows and sagebrush flats. Outlying populations occur in Blaine and Custer counties, Idaho, and Duchesne and Piute counties, Utah. Eastern collections from disturbed sites might be adventive.

Potentilla missourica Hornemann ex Lindley and P. normalis Besser ex Sprengel are older names for this species; both were rejected against a conserved P. bipinnatifida with designated lectotypes (see J. Soják 2008b).

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

For discussion of probable parentage and resultant diagnostic characters, see discussion of 89. Potentilla pedersenii.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 217. FNA vol. 9, p. 211.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Pensylvanicae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rubricaules
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. biennis, P. biflora, P. bimundorum, 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. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, P. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
Synonyms P. pensylvanica var. bipinnatifida
Name authority Douglas: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 188. (1832) Jurtzev: Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 73: 1613. (1988)
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