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

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

stout, sometimes ± columnar, not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

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

ascending to erect, (0.2–)0.4–1.6(–2) dm, lengths 2–3 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.

1–6(–11) cm;

petiole 0.5–4(–9) cm, long hairs ± abundant, ascending to spreading, sometimes loosely appressed, 1–2.5 mm, soft to weak, smooth, crisped(/cottony) hairs absent or sparse, sometimes common, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets overlapping, central broadly obovate, 0.8–2(–2.5) × 0.8–1.5(–2.5) cm, sessile or subsessile, base broadly cuneate, margins strongly revolute, distal 1/2–2/3 incised ± 1/2 to midvein, teeth 2–3(–4) per side, distant, surfaces strongly dissimilar, abaxial grayish white, long hairs 1–2 mm, cottony-crisped hairs ± dense, adaxial usually dark green, sometimes grayish green, long hairs sparse to abundant, other hairs usually absent.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1–2.

(0–)1–2(–3).

Inflorescences

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

1–2(–5)-flowered.

Pedicels

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

1–2 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 ± oblong to ovate, 4–8(–10) × 1.8–3(–5) mm, 2/3 to as wide as sepals, margins revolute, sometimes flat, red glands absent;

hypanthium 3.5–4.5 mm diam.;

sepals 5–8 mm, apex ± acute;

petals 7–9 × 7–10 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments 0.8–1 mm, anthers 0.6–0.7 mm;

carpels 20–30, apical hairs sparse to abundant (straight), styles conic-columnar, ± papillate-swollen in less than proximal 1/5, or sometimes to 1/5, 0.8–1.1 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.

0.9–1.2 mm.

2n

= 28 (Russian Far East).

Potentilla millefolia

Potentilla vulcanicola

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering late spring to summer.
Habitat Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats Dry alpine heaths, ridge crests, rock outcrops, herb slopes, scree and talus, stabilized sand dunes, mainly on calcareous bedrock
Elevation 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) 0–3100 m (0–10200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; NT; NU; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[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 vulcanicola is close morphologically to P. uniflora in the narrow sense and largely replaces it in southern and eastern Chukotka, Alaska, and northwestern Canada, where it reaches east of Mackenzie River on the coastal mainland and the westernmost islands (Banks and Victoria islands). Potentilla subgorodkovii and P. vulcanicola account for a major part of North American records of P. uniflora.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 174. FNA vol. 9, p. 203.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Niveae
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. 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. 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) Juzepczuk: Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 222. (1955)
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