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

La Sal cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened.
Caudex branches

not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

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

decumbent to ascending, 0.5–2(–2.5) dm.

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.

subpalmate, (2–)3–8 cm;

petiole 1–4 cm, long hairs sparse to abundant, ascending to spreading, 0.5–2.5 mm, weak to ± stiff, scarcely to ± verrucose, short-crisped hairs abundant, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common;

leaflets (3–)5(–7), proximalmost separated by 1–5 mm, central narrowly obovate-elliptic, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) × 0.8–1.5 cm, petiolules 0–1 mm, distal 3/4 to whole margin incised 2/3–3/4 to midvein, teeth 5–7 per side, (2–)3–6 mm, apical tufts 0.5–1 mm, abaxial surfaces grayish white to white, long hairs abundant, cottony-crisped hairs usually dense, short hairs and glands absent or sparse, adaxial grayish green, long hairs common to abundant, 1–2 mm, ± stiff, short-crisped hairs abundant, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1–2.

1–2.

Inflorescences

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

(3–)5–10-flowered, congested or ± elongating in fruit, branch angle 10–30°.

Pedicels

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

0.2–1 cm, proximal to 1.5 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, (2–)3–5(–6) × 0.5–1.5 mm;

hypanthium 3.5–5 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6 mm, apex narrowly acute, glands ± common, only partly obscured;

petals yellow, ± overlapping, (4–)5–6 × 4.5–5.5 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.7 mm;

carpels 50–70, styles 1.2–1.5 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.

1.3 mm.

Potentilla millefolia

Potentilla paucijuga

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats Alpine tundra, patches of turf in talus
Elevation 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) 3300–3700 m (10800–12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
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 paucijuga is a distinctive species endemic to the La Sal Mountains in Grand and San Juan counties. Diagnostic features include silvery-silky subpalmate leaves, relatively showy flowers with elongate epicalyx bractlets and sepals, and styles that are nearly 1.5 mm. In Colorado (for example, W. A. Weber and R. C. Wittman 1996), P. pensylvanica var. paucijuga has been applied to what is treated here as P. jepsonii (sect. Pensylvanicae).

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 174. FNA vol. 9, p. 210.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rubricaules
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. 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. 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 P. pensylvanica var. paucijuga, P. rubricaulis var. paucijuga
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 433, plate 277, figs. 1–5. (1896) Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 348. (1908)
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