Potentilla gracilis |
Potentilla drummondii |
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graceful cinquefoil, northwest cinquefoil, potentille grêle, slender cinquefoil |
Drummond's cinquefoil |
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Glands | usually absent or inconspicuous, uncolored. |
usually absent or inconspicuous, rarely conspicuous, uncolored. |
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Stems | ascending to erect, (0.5–)2–7(–12) dm. |
decumbent to nearly erect, 1.5–4.5(–6) dm. |
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Basal leaves | usually not in ranks, palmate, rarely subpalmate, 4–40(–55) cm; petiole (2–)3–25(–45) cm, long hairs sparse to dense, appressed to spreading, 0.5–2(–3) mm, weak to stiff, short hairs absent, crisped hairs usually absent, cottony hairs absent or sparse to abundant (var. owyheensis), glands absent or sparse; leaflets 5–9, on tip, rarely less than distal 1/10, of leaf axis, separate to overlapping, largest ones oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, (1.5–)2–9(–11) × (0.7–)1.5–4 cm, margins flat to revolute, distal (2/3–)3/4 to nearly whole length evenly to unevenly incised 1/4–3/4+ to midvein, undivided medial blade 2–20 mm wide, teeth (4–)6–10(–11) per side (sometimes secondarily toothed), linear to broadly lanceolate, 2–20(–35) mm, surfaces ± similar to strongly dissimilar, abaxial green or pale green to white, usually not glaucous, long hairs sparse to abundant (sometimes mostly on veins), short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to abundant, cottony hairs absent or sparse to dense, glands usually absent or obscured to sparse, sometimes common, adaxial dark green to grayish, long hairs sparse to ± abundant, rarely absent or dense, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent or sparse to abundant (var. owyheensis), glands usually absent or sparse to sometimes common. |
sometimes 2-ranked, subpinnate to pinnate (proximal leaflets often doubled, distal leaflets confluent and/or decurrent), (4–)10–25 cm; petiole 1–10(–15) cm, long hairs absent or sparse to abundant, appressed, 1–1.5 mm, usually stiff, short, crisped, and cottony hairs usually absent, glands absent or (regionally) abundant; leaflets 5–9, on distal 1/10–1/2(–3/4) of leaf axis, separate to ± overlapping, largest ones obovate to cuneate, (1–)2–5 × (0.7–)1–3(–3.5) cm, margins flat, distal 1/2–3/4 unevenly, sometimes evenly, incised ± 1/2 to midvein (often with additional incisions nearly to midvein), undivided medial blade 3–15 mm wide, teeth 3–7 per side (sometimes secondarily toothed), linear to lanceolate, 3–10 mm, surfaces similar, green, not glaucous, long hairs nearly absent or sparse to common (sometimes restricted to abaxial veins), short, crisped, and cottony hairs usually absent, glands usually absent, sometimes regionally abundant. |
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Cauline leaves | 1–4(–5). |
1–3. |
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Inflorescences | (4–)10–50(–60)-flowered. |
3–15-flowered. |
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Pedicels | 0.3–3 cm. |
1–3(–6.5) cm. |
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Flowers | epicalyx bractlets linear to narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, 2–6(–8) × 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm, hairs sparse to abundant, rarely dense, ± appressed to ascending, rarely spreading, glands usually absent or inconspicuous; hypanthium 3.5–6 mm diam.; sepals 4–8(–10) mm, apex acute to long acuminate; petals (3–)4–10(–11) × (3–)4–10(–12) mm; filaments (1–)1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, anthers 0.6–1.2(–1.6) mm; carpels (15–)20–50, styles ± tapered, papillate-swollen proximally, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) mm. |
epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 3–5 × 1–1.6 mm, hairs usually sparse, appressed to ascending, glands usually absent, sometimes regionally sparse to common; hypanthium (3–)4–6(–7) mm diam.; sepals 5–10 mm, apex acute to acuminate; petals (6–)7–12 × 5–10 mm; filaments 2–3.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1 mm; carpels (20–)25–40, styles filiform above papillate-swollen base, 2–3 mm. |
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Achenes | 1–1.8 mm. |
1.5–2 mm. |
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2n | = 64, 92, 96, 98–108. |
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Potentilla gracilis |
Potentilla drummondii |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Moist to dry meadows and adjacent slopes, in conifer woodlands, alpine tundra communities | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 300–3000 m (1000–9800 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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AK; CA; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
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Discussion | Varieties 5 (5 in the flora). Because variation within Potentilla gracilis and other members of sect. Graciles is still far from resolved, taxonomic recognition is given to only the most distinctive extremes and that mostly at the varietal level. The goal is to call attention to areas that need study rather than to provide a full resolution, and even this leaves out some large, widespread populations in both keys and descriptions. The taxonomic placement of some available names, such as P. glomerata A. Nelson, P. longipedunculata Rydberg, and P. macropetala Rydberg, likewise remains unresolved. The vouchers for the report by M. L. Fernald (1950) of Potentilla gracilis and P. pulcherrima from New Hampshire are presumably specimens collected in Coos County by A. S. Pease (NEBC). The three collections differ from one another, corresponding most closely to var. fastigiata, var. flabelliformis, and P. pulcherrima. The presence of such diversity in the same meadow, all as disjunct occurrences, suggests an artificial, non-persisting introduction. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The present circumscription of Potentilla drummondii differs from that of B. Ertter (1992, 1993), which encompassed P. breweri and P. bruceae as varieties (see 28. P. bruceae discussion for details). The description above focuses on large, eglandular, subpinnate plants that occur in mountains from the central Sierra Nevada and northern Coast Ranges of California to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, east to southern Alberta. At least some collections previously identified as P. glaucophylla (as P. diversifolia Lehmann) from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska can be readily accommodated within this concept, as can collections from the Cabinet Mountains in Montana. The distinction between P. drummondii and subpalmate P. glaucophylla can be vague; in general, the proximalmost leaflets of P. glaucophylla are relatively small and often entire; in P. drummondii proximalmost leaflets are similar in size and dissection to other leaflets. Pinnate-leaved regional variants merit further attention; in particular the smaller form described as Potentilla cascadensis, and glandular plants in the northern Coast Ranges of California. Relatively small plants forming uniform populations in the southern Sierra Nevada may represent stabilized hybrids with P. breweri. The inclusion of Potentilla bruceae and P. drummondii in sect. Graciles differs from that of J. Clausen et al. (1940) and B. C. Johnston (1980, 1985), who allied both species with P. breweri in sect. Multijugae. Although subpalmate to subpinnate leaves are anomalous in primarily palmate sect. Graciles, doubled proximal leaflets and an indistinct transition between the rachis and axis of the pinnatisect terminal leaflet in these two species suggest that this state is derived from a palmate progenitor. Habit and petioles also are more compatible with sect. Graciles than sect. Multijugae. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 153. | FNA vol. 9, p. 159. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Graciles | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Graciles | ||||||||||||||||
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Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Synonyms | P. cascadensis, P. drummondii var. cascadensis | |||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Douglas ex Hooker: Bot. Mag. 57: plate 2984. (1830) | Lehmann: Nov. Stirp. Pug. 2: 9. (1830) | ||||||||||||||||
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