Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla wheeleri |
|
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cut-leaf cinquefoil, feather cinquefoil, feather or many-leaf or Klamath cinquefoil, many leaf cinquefoil |
Kern cinquefoil, Wheeler's cinquefoil |
|
Habit | Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened. | |
Stems | usually prostrate, sometimes ± decumbent, 0.4–2(–3) dm, lengths 1–2 times basal leaves. |
0.2–2.5 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. |
palmate, 1.5–9.5 cm; petiole 1–7 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, spreading to appressed, 1–2 mm, weak to stiff, glands ± abundant; leaflets 5, central cuneate-elliptic to obovate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–1.5 cm, scarcely to distinctly petiolulate, distal 1/3 of margins evenly incised ± 1/4 to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, surfaces gray-green, long hairs abundant to dense, 1–1.5 mm, glands ± abundant, sometimes obscured. |
Cauline leaves | (0–)1–2. |
|
Inflorescences | 3–6(–10)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform. |
1–20-flowered. |
Pedicels | (0.5–)1–2(–4.5) cm, ± recurved in fruit. |
0.5–1.5 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 to ovate-elliptic, 1–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm; hypanthium 2–4 mm diam.; sepals 2–5 mm, apex ± acute; petals ± paler abaxially, bright yellow adaxially, ± obcordate, 3–6 × 2–5 mm; filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.5 mm; carpels ca. 20, styles (1.2–)1.5–2 mm. |
Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate. |
1–1.5 mm, lightly rugose. |
Short | hairs not well differentiated from long hairs, absent or sparse throughout. |
|
Potentilla millefolia |
Potentilla wheeleri |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | Flowering May–Sep. |
Habitat | Vernally to permanently wet meadows, moist openings in conifer forests and sagebrush, alkaline flats | Sandy flats, streamsides, lake margins, open conifer woodlands, alpine fellfields |
Elevation | 700–2200 m (2300–7200 ft) | 1800–3500 m (5900–11500 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV; OR
|
CA
|
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 wheeleri is found in the southern Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. Compact plants on the summit of Mount San Gorgonio, described by Jepson as var. paupercula, show no consistent difference to justify their taxonomic segregation. Variety viscidula Rydberg has been misapplied to Arizona populations now called P. rhyolitica. Plants identified as P. wheeleri (excluding P. rimicola) from the Sierra San Pedro Mártir (Baja California) stand as a distinct species, P. luteosericea Rydberg (= P. pinetorum Wiggins). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 174. | FNA vol. 9, p. 185. |
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Subviscosae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. klamathensis, P. millefolia var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. klamathensis, P. plattensis var. millefolia | P. wheeleri var. paupercula |
Name authority | Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 433, plate 277, figs. 1–5. (1896) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 148. (1876) |
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