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

common cinquefoil, old-field cinquefoil, old-field five-fingers, potentille simple, simple cinquefoil

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

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

initially erect to ascending to 5 dm, then arching above ground-level, becoming prostrate, flagelliform, not branched, rooting at distal nodes, (0.5–)1.5–12 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.

persistent or ephemeral, usually palmate, 3.5–20 cm;

petiole 1–15 cm, long hairs ± abundant, appressed to spreading, (0.5–)1–3 mm, weak to ± stiff, glands absent or sparse, sometimes common;

leaflets 5(–7), central narrowly elliptic to obovate, 1.5–5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, distal 1/2–3/4 of margin incised 1/4–1/3 to midvein, teeth 4–8(–13) per side, surfaces similar to ± dissimilar, abaxial green to silvery white, sparsely to abundantly hairy, adaxial green, glabrate or sparsely to moderately hairy.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1 proximal to 1st flowering node, well expanded at anthesis, usually palmate, 2.5–6(–9) cm;

petiole 0–2(–4) cm;

leaflets (3–)5, often more elongate than those of basal leaves, ± elliptic to oblanceolate, sometimes obovate, 1.5–6(–7.5) × 0.5–2(–3) cm, apex acute to obtuse.

Inflorescences

1–6-flowered.

solitary flowers at stolon nodes.

Pedicels

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

1–5(–8.5) 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.

5(–6)-merous;

epicalyx bractlets linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–5 × 1–1.5(–2) mm, often larger than sepals (especially in bud);

hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6 mm, apex broadly acute;

petals 4–7 × 3–6 mm, apex rounded to ± retuse;

stamens ca. 20, filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.6–1 mm;

carpels 20–50, styles 0.8–1.5 mm.

Achenes

1.2–1.5 mm.

0.9–1.2 mm, faintly rugose.

Rootstocks

horizontal, irregularly thickened or moniliform, 1–8 cm.

2n

= 28.

Potentilla flabellifolia

Potentilla simplex

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jul(–Aug).
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 or infrequently moist flats and slopes in pastures, dry meadows, roadsides, old fields, edges of mixed oak and conifer woodlands, often on acidic soil
Elevation 1000–3700 m (3300–12100 ft) 0–800 m (0–2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

The distinction between Potentilla simplex and P. canadensis is subtle, and the former is often misidentified as the latter; additional features to distinguish the two species are provided by M. L. Fernald (1931).

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 190. FNA vol. 9, p. 134.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Potentilla
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. 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. 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. canadensis var. simplex, P. simplex var. argyrisma, P. simplex var. calvescens
Name authority Hooker ex Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 442. (1840) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 303. (1803)
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