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Hipp's cinquefoil, horse cinquefoil, potentille de Hipp, woolly cinquefoil

Jepson's cinquefoil, Jepson's potentilla

Stems

(0.3–)2–4(–5) dm, lengths (1–)2–4 times basal leaves.

decumbent to nearly erect, (0.2–)0.5–2.6 dm.

Basal leaves

pinnate to subpinnate, (3–)5–15(–25) cm;

petiole 1–10(–15) cm, long hairs abundant to dense, tightly appressed, 1–2.5 mm, stiff, short hairs absent or obscured, crisped-cottony hairs absent or sparse to common, glands absent or obscured;

leaflets not conduplicate, lateral ones evenly (to unevenly in argyrea phase) paired, (2–)3–6(–7) per side on distal (1/6–)1/5–1/2 of leaf axis, distal pairs ± decurrent, often confluent with terminal leaflet, larger leaflets oblanceolate or narrowly obovate to oblong, 1–5(–6) × 0.3–1.5 cm, distal (2/3–)3/4 to whole margin incised 1/2 or less (rarely more) to midvein, teeth (5–)7–12(–18) per side, 1–4 mm, surfaces ± to strongly dissimilar, abaxial white, long hairs abundant (mostly on, but not limited to, veins), 1–2 mm, stiff, short hairs absent or obscured, crisped-cottony hairs abundant to dense, glands absent or obscured, adaxial green to grayish, long hairs sparse to common, rarely absent, short or crisped to, sometimes, cottony hairs absent or sparse to common, glands sparse.

subpinnate to subpalmate, 1.5–10(–17) cm;

petiole 0.5–4(–8) cm, long hairs ± abundant, spreading to loosely appressed, 0.5–2 mm, weak to stiff, short hairs absent or sparse, cottony or crisped hairs absent, glands sparse to abundant;

leaflets (1–)2–3 per side, on distal 1/6–1/3(–1/2) of leaf axis, separate to slightly overlapping, terminal ones oblanceolate-elliptic to narrowly obovate, (0.5–)1–2.5(–3.5) × 0.4–1(–1.3) cm, margins strongly revolute, incised 3/4+ to midvein, undivided medial blade 1.5–3(–5) mm wide, teeth (2–)3–5(–6) per side, ± linear-elliptic to rarely ovate or oblanceolate, surfaces ± dissimilar, abaxial ± grayish, rarely white, long hairs ± abundant especially on veins, 1 mm, weak, short hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, crisped hairs sparse to abundant, glands ± abundant, sometimes obscured, adaxial green to gray-green, long hairs sparse to abundant, loosely appressed, 0.5–1(–2) mm, short hairs absent or sparse, cottony and crisped hairs absent, glands ± abundant.

Cauline leaves

1–2(–3).

1–2.

Inflorescences

10–30-flowered.

(1–)3–12(–20)-flowered, congested, scarcely opening in fruit.

Pedicels

0.3–3(–5) cm.

0.2–0.5 cm (proximal to 1.2 cm).

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, rarely linear, 2–5 × 0.5–1.5 mm, (1/2–)2/3 as long as sepals, abaxial vestiture similar to or ± sparser than sepals, usually not glabrescent, straight hairs ± abundant, crisped to sometimes ± cottony hairs absent or sparse to abundant;

hypanthium 3–7 mm diam.;

sepals 4–5.5(–6.5) mm, apex acute to acuminate;

petals 4–8 × 4–7 mm;

filaments 0.5–2.5 mm, anthers 0.6–1.1 mm;

carpels (5–)10–30, styles 1.7–2.5 mm.

epicalyx bractlets elliptic to linear, 1.5–3 × (0.3–)0.5–1.2 mm, lengths 1/2–3/4 times sepals, margins flat;

hypanthium 2.5–5 mm diam.;

sepals 2–5 mm, apex usually ± acute to obtuse, rarely acuminate, abaxial surfaces: venation faint, glands abundant, evident;

petals pale yellow, 2–5 × 2–4 mm, lengths ± equal to sepals;

filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.7 mm;

carpels 20–60, styles papillate-swollen in proximal 1/2–3/4+, 0.8–1.2 mm.

Achenes

1.4–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose.

1 mm, smooth to faintly rugose.

2n

= 42, 70, 77, 84, 98.

Potentilla hippiana

Potentilla jepsonii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry grasslands and meadows, in aspen and conifer woodlands or alpine tundra, disturbed sites Seasonally moist sites in alpine meadows, ridges, fellfields, rock ledges, talus slopes
Elevation 500–3400 m (1600–11200 ft) 2500–3700 m (8200–12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; AB
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla hippiana is most common and distinctive in the Colorado Plateau and southern Rocky Mountains, with outliers in the mountains of Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Occurrences are more scattered in the northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, where intergradation with P. effusa is common. Among these intermediates are the argyrea phase and the single report from Idaho (B. C. Johnston 1980). Potentilla hippiana is probably adventive in Nova Scotia, eastern Ontario, Quebec, and Michigan, and possibly the Northwest Territories. The reported occurrence in central Alaska (E. Hultén 1968) is based on a specimen of P. pensylvanica (CAN).

Significant variation exists throughout the range of Potentilla hippiana, including dwarfism, leaf division, leaflet dissection, adaxial leaflet vestiture, and pedicel length. Some of this variation might merit taxonomic recognition upon further analysis, especially if correlated with ploidy level (6x through 12x). At present, the differences used to distinguish var. argyrea are not found to be sufficiently correlated with distribution to merit formal taxonomic recognition.

Complicating the infraspecific variation is a tendency for Potentilla hippiana to intergrade with other species, in particular P. effusa. Beyond sect. Leucophyllae, the frequency of hybrids with P. pulcherrima blurs the distinction between the two species; P. gracilis var. hippianoides S. L. Welsh & N. D. Atwood is probably one of the resultant intermediates.

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

Potentilla jepsonii (a replacement name for P. pensylvanica var. ovium) is widespread at higher elevations in the Intermountain Region, extending into the Sierra Nevada in California and the Rocky Mountains in Idaho and Wyoming. Disjunct occurrences are known on the north rim of the Grand Canyon and San Francisco Peaks, Arizona, and Steens Mountain, Oregon. Collections have most commonly been included in P. pensylvanica (for example, B. Ertter 1993; N. H. Holmgren 1997b); they differ in leaf division, vestiture, and epicalyx bractlets. J. Soják considered var. ovium to be a variety of P. litoralis, which has comparable leaves and vestiture; P. jepsonii lacks the enlarged, revolute epicalyx bractlets that distinguish P. litoralis and is for the most part well separated geographically and elevationally. The exception is the montane phase of P. litoralis, which, at the current stage of knowledge, is somewhat arbitrarily delimited from P. jepsonii in the northern Rocky Mountains; collections from Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and the Okanogan Mountains in Washington are tentatively placed here in P. jepsonii.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 162. FNA vol. 9, p. 216.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Leucophyllae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Pensylvanicae
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. flabellifolia, P. fragiformis, P. furcata, P. glaucophylla, P. gracilis, P. grayi, P. hickmanii, 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. 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
Synonyms P. leucophylla, P. argyrea, P. effusa var. argyrea, P. hippiana var. argyrea, P. hippiana var. diffusa, P. propinqua P. pensylvanica var. ovium, P. litoralis var. ovium
Name authority Lehmann: Nov. Stirp. Pug. 2: 7. (1830) — not Pallas 1773 Ertter: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 2: 202. (2008)
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