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

cut-leaf cinquefoil, feather cinquefoil, feather or many-leaf or Klamath cinquefoil, many leaf cinquefoil

silkyleaf cinquefoil, silkyleaf or giant or southern Rocky Mountain cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened.
Stems

usually prostrate, sometimes ± decumbent, 0.4–2(–3) dm, lengths 1–2 times basal leaves.

(2–)3–7(–8) dm, lengths (1–)1.5–2.5 times basal leaves.

Basal leaves

pinnate with distal leaflets ± confluent, 2–15(–20) × 1–3 cm;

petiole 0.5–2(–3) cm, straight hairs sparse to abundant, appressed to spreading, 0.5–1.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;

primary lateral leaflets (3–)5–13 per side, on distal 2/3–3/4+ of leaf axis, separate to overlapping, largest ones cuneate to flabellate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.5–2 cm, distal 2/3 to whole margin palmately or unevenly, rarely pinnately, incised 2/3 to completely to midvein, ultimate teeth or segments (1–)2–10, linear to broadly oblanceolate, 2–10 × (0.5–)1–2 mm, apical tufts to 1 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to abundant, appressed to spreading, 0.5–1.5(–2) mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common.

pinnate, 15–45(–50) cm;

petiole (5–)8–20 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, ascending to appressed, (1–)2–3 mm, ± stiff, rarely weak, short or crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse, often obscured;

leaflets not conduplicate, lateral ones evenly paired, (3–)4–7 per side on distal ± 1/2 of leaf axis, most pairs ± decurrent, rachis winged, distal sometimes confluent with terminal leaflet, larger leaflets narrowly obovate, (2–)3–7 × 1–2.5 cm, distal 3/4+ of margin incised 1/3 to midvein, teeth 6–18 per side, 1–4 mm, surfaces ± similar, abaxial grayish, long hairs sparse to common (mostly on veins), 0.5–2 mm, ± stiff, rarely weak, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common, adaxial green to grayish, long and short hairs not differentiated, sparse to common, crisped and cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1–2.

(0–)1–3.

Inflorescences

3–6(–10)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform.

(10–)20–60-flowered.

Pedicels

(0.5–)1–2(–4.5) cm, ± recurved in fruit.

(0.5–)1–3(–6) cm.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets ± elliptic, 2–4(–6) × 1–2(–2.5) mm;

hypanthium 3–6 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6(–8) mm, apex acute;

petals 4–8(–10) × 3–7(–9) mm;

filaments 2–3.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1 mm;

carpels 10–30, styles (1.5–)2–3 mm.

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to narrowly ovate or elliptic, 3–6 × 1–1.5 mm, 2/3 as long as to nearly equal to sepals, abaxial vestiture ± similar to sepals, not glabrescent, straight hairs sparse to common, crisped or cottony hairs usually absent;

hypanthium 3–6 mm diam.;

sepals 4–7 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

petals (6–)7–10 × 5–9 mm;

filaments (1–)1.5–4 mm, anthers 0.7–0.9(–1) mm;

carpels 20–30, styles (1–)1.8–3 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.

1.4–1.6 mm, smooth.

2n

= 82.

Potentilla millefolia

Potentilla ambigens

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats Dry meadows and adjacent slopes, in conifer woodlands
Elevation 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) 2000–2700 m (6600–8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla millefolia occurs from central Oregon to the east side of the Sierra Nevada of California, with a disjunct occurrence on the alkaline flats of Reese River Valley, Nevada. Significant variation occurs in vestiture type, leaflet dissection, and flower size, but with minimal geographic correlation. The most distinctive variant, represented by the type of P. klamathensis, has relatively long, slender, spreading, pustule-based hairs, often intermixed with shorter hairs. This vestiture type does not appear to be correlated with any other characters or geographic distribution and may vary within a population.

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

Of conservation concern.

Potentilla ambigens is one of the more distinctive species in sect. Leucophyllae, comprising exceptionally large plants with large, coarsely hairy leaves. Although sometimes confused with P. hippiana, P. ambigens lacks the crisped-cottony vestiture of that species and is usually morphologically distinctive even where both species occur together (D. G. Anderson, www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/potentillaambigens.pdf).

Potentilla ambigens occurs in Wyoming (at least historically), along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains to northern Colorado, and in scattered locations in the high mountains of New Mexico as far south as the Sacramento Mountains, Otero County. The species is of conservation concern in Colorado and has not been documented in Wyoming since 1900 (D. G. Anderson, www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/potentillaambigens.pdf).

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 174. FNA vol. 9, p. 164.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Leucophyllae
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. hippiana, P. holmgrenii, P. hookeriana, P. hyparctica, P. inclinata, P. intermedia, P. jepsonii, P. johnstonii, P. lasiodonta, P. litoralis, P. macounii, 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. 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. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
Synonyms P. klamathensis, P. millefolia var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. millefolia
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 433, plate 277, figs. 1–5. (1896) Greene: Erythea 1: 5. (1893)
Web links