Potentilla crinita
Potentilla plattensis
bearded cinquefoil, Lemmon's cinquefoil
Platte cinquefoil, Platte River cinquefoil
(0.5–)1.5–4.5 dm, lengths 2–4(–5) times basal leaves.
initially decumbent to sometimes ascending, becoming prostrate or supported by vegetation, (0.3–)0.5–3.5(–4.5) dm, lengths 1.5–2.5(–4) times basal leaves.
pinnate, 3–15(–20) cm;
petiole 1–10(–15) cm, long hairs dense, appressed, 1.5–2.5 mm, usually stiff, short and crisped hairs usually absent, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse, often obscured;
leaflets often conduplicate, lateral ones evenly paired, (3–)4–6(–7) per side on distal 1/3–2/3 of leaf axis, distal pairs ± decurrent, often confluent with terminal leaflet, larger leaflets narrowly cuneate or oblanceolate to obovate, 1–3(–4) × 0.2–0.8(–1) cm, distal 1/4–1/2(–2/3) or less of margin incised ± 1/4 or less to midvein, teeth (0–)1–5(–9) per side, 1–2 mm, surfaces ± similar to ± dissimilar, abaxial silvery to greenish, long hairs usually dense (at least on primary veins), 1–2 mm, stiff, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs usually absent, glands sparse to common, often obscured, adaxial ± green, long hairs sparse to common, sometimes absent, short, crisped, and cottony hairs absent, glands sparse.
pinnate with distal leaflets ± distinct, 2–15(–20) × 1–3 cm;
petiole 0.5–5 cm, straight hairs common, tightly appressed, 0.5(–1) mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;
primary lateral leaflets (3–)4–6(–8) per side, on distal (1/4–)1/2–3/4 of leaf axis, overlapping to separate, largest ones obovate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.5–1(–1.3) cm, distal (1/2–)2/3 to whole margin pinnately incised 3/4+ to midvein, ultimate teeth 5–10, linear-oblanceolate, 1.5–8(–10) × 1–2 mm, apical tufts less than 0.5 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to common (sparser adaxially), tightly appressed, 0.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or inconspicuous.
1–3(–4).
1–3.
(5–)10–30-flowered.
(1–)3–15(–20)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform.
0.5–2(–4) cm.
1–4(–5) cm, ± recurved in fruit.
epicalyx bractlets lanceolate, 1.5–4.5 × 0.5(–1) mm, 1/2–2/3 as long as sepals, abaxial vestiture similar to or ± sparser than sepals, not glabrescent, straight hairs common, crisped or cottony hairs usually absent;
hypanthium 2.5–5 mm diam.;
sepals (3–)4–7 mm, apex acute to long acuminate;
petals (3–)4.5–7.5(–8) × 4–6 mm;
filaments 1–3 mm, anthers 0.6–1.1 mm;
carpels 5–20, styles 1.6–2.6 mm.
epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 2–5(–6) × 0.5–2 mm;
hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;
sepals 3–6 mm, apex acute;
petals 4–7 × 3–6 mm;
filaments 1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm, usually ± 1/2 as long as filaments;
carpels 10–20, styles 1.5–2.5 mm.
1.4–1.7 mm, smooth or slightly rugose.
(1.3–)1.5–1.9 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.
= 70.
Potentilla crinita
Potentilla plattensis
Potentilla crinita occurs mainly in the upper foothills and mountains from southern Nevada to south-central Utah, northern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico and is disjunct to southwestern Colorado (Archuleta County). It tends to grow on somewhat drier, rockier sites than co-occurring species of Potentilla. The often conduplicate leaflets, falcate in outline, bear relatively few, small teeth. Two varieties are sometimes recognized, based on leaflet and vestiture characters that do not reliably coincide.
Potentilla crinita can hybridize with P. hippiana where the two species overlap, in spite of ecological partitioning. N. H. Holmgren (1997b) noted the type of P. crinita may be such a hybrid. If correct, then P. lemmonii would be used for the species unless the name P. crinita were to be conserved with a conserved type.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Potentilla plattensis occurs mostly east of the Continental Divide from the Canadian Prairies to the mountains of New Mexico. The species barely enters Idaho at Monida Pass (Clark County). Populations also exist in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona and the mountains of southern Utah. The species is relatively uniform throughout its range but there is often significant seasonal variation, such that plants can be compact and densely strigose in early summer but elongate and subglabrous later in the season.
Where the ranges of Potentilla plattensis and P. ovina overlap, the two are sometimes difficult to distinguish. The habitats are usually distinct, in that P. plattensis generally occurs in moist valley bottoms and P. ovina occurs in rocky uplands. Differences in vestiture are also diagnostic: hairs of P. plattensis are 0.5 mm and tightly appressed; those of P. ovina are longer and looser.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CalFlora
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
