Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla elegans |
|
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cut-leaf cinquefoil, feather cinquefoil, feather or many-leaf or Klamath cinquefoil, many leaf cinquefoil |
elegant cinquefoil, silverweed |
|
Habit | Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened. | Plants densely tufted to cushion-forming; caudex branches usually short, stout, sometimes embedded in old leaves. |
Stems | usually prostrate, sometimes ± decumbent, 0.4–2(–3) dm, lengths 1–2 times basal leaves. |
erect, 0.1–0.5 dm, lengths 1–2 times 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. |
not in ranks, ternate, 0.5–2.5(–4) cm; stipules: apex acute to obtuse; petiole 0.2–1.8(–2.5) cm, long hairs ± sparse, ± spreading, 0.2–1 mm, weak, glands sparse to abundant; leaflets 3, central obtriangular to flabellate, 0.5–0.7(–1) × 0.5–0.7 cm, petiolule 0–0.5 mm, margins flat, distal 3/4+ deeply 3–5-lobed (sinuses extending 2/3–3/4 to midvein), lobes unevenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 1–3(–5) per lobe, surfaces similar, green, brownish, or reddish, hairs absent or sparse, 0.2–0.5 mm, glands sparse to common (also densely punctate-glandular). |
Cauline leaves | (0–)1–2. |
|
Inflorescences | 3–6(–10)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform. |
1-flowered. |
Pedicels | (0.5–)1–2(–4.5) cm, ± recurved in fruit. |
straight or ± curved, 0–0.5(–2) cm in flower, to 5 cm in fruit. |
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 linear, elliptic, or obovate, 2–2.2 × 0.8–1.1 mm, margins flat; hypanthium 2.5–3.5 mm diam.; sepals 2.2–2.5 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse; petals pale yellow, 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 mm; filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.4 mm; carpels 20–25, styles ± columnar, not papillate-swollen proximally, 0.7–0.9 mm. |
Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate. |
1.2 mm. |
2n | = 14, 28 (Russian Far East). |
|
Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla elegans |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats | Rock crevices, blocky scree, mountain summits, mostly on acidic bedrock |
Elevation | 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) | 100–1600 m (300–5200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR
|
AK; BC; NT; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East) |
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.) |
For present purposes, Potentilla elegans is treated in sect. Aureae, as was done by B. C. Johnston (1985), largely on the basis of pragmatism. J. Soják (1994) places the species instead in sect. Dumosae Soják, which otherwise comprises several Himalayan species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 174. | FNA vol. 9, p. 194. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae |
Sibling taxa | ||
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) | Chamisso & Schlechtendal: Linnaea 2: 22. (1827) |
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