Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla norvegica |
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cut-leaf cinquefoil, feather cinquefoil, feather or many-leaf or Klamath cinquefoil, many leaf cinquefoil |
Norwegian cinquefoil, Norwegian or rough cinquefoil, potentille de norvège, rough cinquefoil |
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Habit | Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened. | |
Stems | usually prostrate, sometimes ± decumbent, 0.4–2(–3) dm, lengths 1–2 times basal leaves. |
ascending to erect, (0.5–)2–5(–9) dm, hairs at base ± stiff, tubercle-based, glands absent or sparse, inconspicuous. |
Leaves | ternate, rarely palmate, 3–15(–20) cm; petiole 1–6(–10) cm, long hairs sparse to abundant, spreading to ascending, 1–2.5(–3) mm, usually ± stiff, ± crisped hairs absent or sparse to common, glands absent or sparse, inconspicuous; leaflets 3(–5), at tip of leaf axis, separate to ± overlapping, largest ones broadly oblanceolate or elliptic to obovate, 1–6(–10) × 0.7–4(–5) cm, distal (1/2–)2/3–3/4+ of margin usually ± evenly incised 1/4–1/3 to midvein, teeth (3–)4–8(–15) per side, surfaces sparsely to moderately hairy, sometimes glabrate or abundantly hairy, glands mostly absent. |
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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. |
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Cauline leaves | (0–)1–2. |
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Inflorescences | 3–6(–10)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform. |
5–40+-flowered. |
Pedicels | (0.5–)1–2(–4.5) cm, ± recurved in fruit. |
(0.2–)0.5–2.5(–3) 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 ± elliptic to narrowly ovate, (3–)4–8(–13) × 1.5–3(–5) mm; hypanthium 4–7 mm diam.; sepals 5–8 mm, apex acute to obtuse; petals yellow, broadly obovate, (2–)3–5 × 2–4 mm; stamens 15 or 20, filaments 0.7–2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; carpels 60–150, styles 0.7–0.8 mm. |
Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate. |
tan to brown, 0.8–1.3 mm, usually strongly rugose, without a corky protuberance. |
2n | = 42, 56, 63, 70. |
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Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla norvegica |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats | Moist meadows, stream banks, lakeshores, roadsides, grasslands, hardwood and conifer woodlands, tundra |
Elevation | 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) | 300–2700 m (1000–8900 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR
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AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Mexico; Central America; Greenland; Eurasia [Introduced in South America, Pacific Islands (New Zealand)]
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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.) |
Potentilla norvegica is considered native in both North America and Eurasia, with the American race occasionally recognized as subsp. hirsuta for the stiff hairs on the stems, petioles, and pedicels of most plants in the flora area. This feature and other purported differences between the two races, in addition to being relatively subtle and inconstant, can be found in both America and Eurasia, though undoubtedly at least in part as introductions. Some populations in eastern Canada with glabrous stems have been distinguished as var. labradorica (for example, M. L. Fernald 1950), but such plants typically are intermixed with hairy individuals. The Löves (Á Löve 1954; Á Löve and D. Löve 1966) have argued that all three variants should be treated as distinct species due to chromosomal differences (hirsuta 2n = 56; labradorica 2n = 42; norvegica in the narrow sense 2n = 70) and obligate apomixis. Further research is needed to determine the taxonomic validity and rank of these expressions. If treated as species, P. flexuosa antedates P. labradorica (as noted by J. Soják 1969), while P. monspeliensis, although commonly used for the American race, is based on a European type (as summarized by A. Kurtto et al. in J. Jalas et al. 1972+, vol. 13). An even greater challenge is determining native versus introduced ranges, especially given the likelihood that both native and Eurasian populations are widespread in North America. Achenes are produced prolifically and easily dispersed, to the extent that Potentilla norvegica is a contaminant in clover and hay fields and considered a weed at least in Canada (P. A. Werner and J. D. Soule 1976). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 174. | FNA vol. 9, p. 140. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rivales |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. klamathensis, P. millefolia var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. millefolia | P. flexuosa, P. labradorica, P. monspeliensis, P. norvegica subsp. hirsuta, P. norvegica var. hirsuta, P. norvegica var. labradorica, P. norvegica subsp. monspeliensis |
Name authority | Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 433, plate 277, figs. 1–5. (1896) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 499. (1753) |
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