The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Habit Plants ± tufted.
Caudex branches

slender to stout, not columnar, not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

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

± ascending, sometimes nearly erect, 0.5–1.5(–3) dm, lengths 2–4 times basal leaves.

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.

2–4 cm;

petiole 1–2.5 cm, long hairs common to abundant, spreading to ascending, rarely loosely appressed, 1–2 mm, ± stiff, verrucose, short-crisped hairs sparse to abundant, sometimes nearly absent, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse;

leaflets ± overlapping, central elliptic to obovate, 1–1.5 × 0.6–1.1 cm, petiolulate, base broadly cuneate, margins flat or slightly revolute, distal ± 2/3 incised ± 1/2 to midvein, teeth (3–)4 per side, ± approximate, surfaces ± dissimilar, abaxial reddish or greenish gray to white, long hairs 1 mm, cottony-crisped hairs common to dense, adaxial green or reddish to gray-green, long hairs sparse to abundant, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to common.

Cauline leaves

1–2(–3).

0–1.

Inflorescences

10–30-flowered.

2–5-flowered.

Pedicels

0.3–3(–5) cm.

1–2 cm in flower, to 3(–5) cm in fruit.

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 narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, 4–6 × 1–2.5 mm, (1/2–)2/3 to as wide as sepals, margins revolute, sometimes flat, red glands usually common, conspicuous;

hypanthium 3.5–4.5 mm diam.;

sepals 5–7 mm, apex subacute;

petals 6–8 × (4–)5–8 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments 0.7–1.2 mm, anthers 0.4 mm;

carpels 40–60, apical hairs absent, styles columnar, strongly papillate-swollen in proximal 1/5–1/3, 0.9–1 mm.

Achenes

1.4–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose.

1.2–1.8 mm.

2n

= 42, 70, 77, 84, 98.

= 42, 49 (Russian Far East).

Potentilla hippiana

Potentilla tikhomirovii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry grasslands and meadows, in aspen and conifer woodlands or alpine tundra, disturbed sites Dry tundra meadows, loamy soil banks, sedge-herb slopes
Elevation 500–3400 m (1600–11200 ft) 0–1100 m (0–3600 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
AK; NT; NU; Greenland; Europe (Russia); Asia
[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 tikhomirovii is an assumed hybrid species combining characteristics from P. arenosa subsp. arenosa of sect. Niveae (abaxial leaflet surfaces with crisped-cottony hairs, adaxial surfaces with both long and short hairs, petioles often with both long and short hairs, and flower shape and size) and P. hyparctica of sect. Aureae (crisped-cottony hairs often not fully covering abaxial leaf surfaces, reddish color in most plant parts, sepals and epicalyx bractlets relatively large, broad, less acute, and with many and reddish glands, which are often also on petioles and stipules).

Potentilla tikhomirovii has an interrupted range and is not very coherent morphologically. It forms large populations locally, probably by agamic seed propagation, and is a significant part of the Potentilla variation in northern and northeastern Greenland, Ellesmere Island, and parts of the Brooks Range, northern Alaska. Both the distributional and the morphologic patterns indicate that it has evolved multiple times in different regions, such that it is a borderline case for status as an independent species. Its large populations and significant distribution in some regions support recognition, as also does the paucity of obvious back-crosses with the parents.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 162. FNA vol. 9, p. 201.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Leucophyllae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Niveae
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. 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. 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
Name authority Lehmann: Nov. Stirp. Pug. 2: 7. (1830) — not Pallas 1773 Jurtzev: in A. I. Tolmatchew, Fl. Arct. URSS 9(1): 318. (1984)
Web links