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

Colorado cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened.
Stems

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

(0.8–)1–2.5(–3.5) 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.

usually palmate with additional lateral leaflets, sometimes pinnate, 3–10(–14) cm;

petiole 1.5–5 cm, vestiture seasonally dimorphic, long hairs abundant, spreading on first-formed leaves, tightly appressed to ascending on later-formed leaves, 1–2 mm, ± stiff (especially on later-formed leaves), cottony and crisped hairs usually absent, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets (3–)5 at tip of leaf axis plus 1(–2) additional pair(s) separated from tip by 3–20 mm, on distal 1/10–1/3(–1/2) of leaf axis, largest leaflets oblanceolate-oblong, (0.5–)1.5–2.5(–3) × 0.3–1 cm, ± whole margin incised 1/2–2/3(–3/4) to midvein, teeth (2–)4–9 per side, usually touching to strongly overlapping, sometimes separate, 2–6 mm, surfaces usually strongly dissimilar (less so on first-formed leaves), abaxial usually white, straight hairs ± abundant (mostly on veins), 1–2 mm, cottony or crisped/cottony hairs ± dense (sparser on first-formed leaves), glands absent or obscured, adaxial green (to grayish), straight hairs sparse to common, 0.5–1.5 mm, cottony and crisped hairs absent, glands sparse.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1–2.

1–3.

Inflorescences

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

3–20(–30)-flowered.

Pedicels

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

0.5–2 cm (proximal to 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 narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 2–5(–6) × 1–1.5 mm;

sepals 4–7 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

petals 4–8 × 4–8 mm;

filaments (0.5–)1–2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.8 mm;

carpels 15–30, styles filiform to filiform-tapered, ± papillate-swollen in less than proximal 1/5, 1.5–2 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.

1.2–1.6 mm.

Potentilla millefolia

Potentilla subjuga

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats Alpine tundra and meadows, boulder piles, gravelly slopes, stabilized talus
Elevation 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) 3400–4000 m (11200–13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM; AB
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

Potentilla subjuga is centered in the high mountains of Colorado and barely enters New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Collections from Alberta also apparently belong to this species, but all known collections from Wyoming have been identified as different taxa, at least one currently undescribed. At its most distinctive, P. subjuga is easily recognized by its unique leaf division, with five palmate leaflets subtended by an additional pair (or two) of lateral leaflets. Southern populations, however, are more likely to have only three apical leaflets. The leaflets tend to be strongly bicolored with overlapping teeth, in contrast to most sympatric pinnate species. Petiole vestiture is also distinctive in being seasonally dimorphic, with long hairs on first-formed leaves spreading to ascending and those on later formed leaves tightly appressed, as well as more conspicuously verrucose. Unresolved infraspecific variation exists, and field observations suggest that P. subjuga readily hybridizes with sympatric species, creating a swarm of intermediate specimens.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 174. FNA vol. 9, p. 166.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Subjugae
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. 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. 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. osterhoutiana
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 433, plate 277, figs. 1–5. (1896) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 397, plate 274. (1896)
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