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fan-foil, fan-leaf cinquefoil, fanleaf or fanfoil or Mount Rainier cinquefoil, fringe-leaf cinquefoil, high mountain cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± openly matted; caudex branches short to elongate, ± stout.
Caudex branches

not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

ascending to erect, (0.3–)1–3 dm, lengths 2 times basal leaves.

ascending to nearly erect, 0.4–2 dm.

Basal leaves

2-ranked, ternate, (1–)3–12(–20) cm;

stipules: apex rounded;

petiole (0.5–)1–15(–18) cm, hairs and glands usually absent;

leaflets 3, central widely obovate to flabellate, (0.5–)1–5 × (0.4–)1–3(–3.5) cm, petiolule 0–5(–10) mm, margins flat, not or shallowly lobed (sinuses extending less than 1/2 to midvein), distal 1/2–3/4 usually unevenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 3–7 per side, often secondarily toothed, surfaces similar, green, hairs absent or sparse, rarely common, 0.5–1 mm, glands absent or sparse.

often both ternate and palmate or subpalmate on same plant, 2.5–4 cm;

petiole 1.5–2.5 cm, long hairs common to abundant, loosely appressed to ascending-spreading, 1–2 mm, weak to ± stiff, verrucose, crisped(/short) hairs absent or sparse to common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common;

leaflets 3–5, proximalmost separated by 0–2 mm, central broadly elliptic to obovate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.9 cm, petiolules 1–2 mm, distal 2/3–3/4 of margin incised 1/2–3/4 to midvein, teeth (2–)3–4 per side, 4–6 mm, apical tufts ± 1 mm, abaxial surfaces grayish white to white, long hairs abundant (sometimes obscuring entire surface), cottony-crisped hairs abundant to dense, short hairs absent or obscured, glands sparse to common but usually obscured, adaxial grayish green to gray, long hairs sparse to abundant, 1–1.5(–2) mm, ± weak, short (short-crisped) hairs absent or sparse, rarely common, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse, rarely common.

Cauline leaves

0–2.

Inflorescences

1–6-flowered.

(1–)3–7-flowered, open, branch angle 30–50°.

Pedicels

straight, 0.3–4.5(–5) cm, not much longer in fruit than in flower.

1–2 cm, proximal to 4 cm.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets often toothed or 2-lobed, elliptic to oval, 3.5–7 × (1–)1.5–3 mm, margins flat;

hypanthium 3–7 mm diam.;

sepals 4–8 mm, apex acute to obtuse;

petals dark yellow, (5–)6–10(–12) × (3–)5–10 mm;

filaments 1.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–1.5 mm;

carpels 20–50, styles filiform, not or slightly papillate-swollen proximally, 1.6–2.5 mm.

epicalyx bractlets narrowly ovate to elliptic, 4–5 × 1–1.4 mm;

hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6 mm, apex subacute to acute, glands sparse to common, usually not obscured;

petals pale yellow, usually not overlapping, 6–7 × 4–8 mm, distinctly longer than sepals;

filaments 1–2 mm, anthers ± 0.4 mm;

carpels 40–80, styles 0.8–0.9 mm.

Achenes

1.2–1.5 mm.

1.1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 28.

Potentilla flabellifolia

Potentilla pedersenii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist to wet or swampy, sometimes dry, stream banks, lakeshores, meadows, in conifer woodlands, subalpine and alpine grassy, rocky slopes, near or above timberline Dry tundra, gravel and loam ridges, loam flats, rocky outcrops and crevices
Elevation 1000–3700 m (3300–12100 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NT; NU; Greenland; ne Europe; n Asia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla flabellifolia is found in the mountains from southern British Columbia, southwestern Alberta, and southwestern Montana to the southern Sierra Nevada of California.

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

Potentilla pedersenii and P. uschakovii account for the majority of arctic populations previously included in a broadly defined P. rubricaulis. The diagnostic morphological characters between the two species can be variable and overlapping; they are treated separately in part because of differences in presumed parental combinations. Whereas P. pulchella is the probable sect. Pensylvanicae parent for both species, the putative sect. Niveae parent for P. pedersenii is P. arenosa subsp. arenosa; that of P. uschakovii is P. subvahliana. Reflecting this parentage, P. pedersenii is distinguished by caudex branches with no marcescent whole leaves, verrucose long hairs on petioles, and inflorescences with usually several relatively small flowers. In contrast, P. uschakovii often has marcescent whole leaves sheathing the caudex branches, smooth long hairs on petioles, and one- or few-flowered inflorescences with mostly larger flowers. These generalities aside, there is much variation within both species, such that each island or population group may have its own features; it is probable that both P. pedersenii and P. uschakovii have evolved from multiple hybridization events.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 190. FNA vol. 9, p. 210.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms P. subquinata var. pedersenii, P. tolmatchevii
Name authority Hooker ex Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 442. (1840) (Rydberg) Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 332. (1908)
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