Potentilla norvegica
Potentilla villosa
Norwegian cinquefoil, Norwegian or rough cinquefoil, potentille de norvège, rough cinquefoil
hairy cinquefoil, northern cinquefoil, villous cinquefoil
stout, sometimes short-columnar, not sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.
ascending to erect, (0.5–)2–5(–9) dm, hairs at base ± stiff, tubercle-based, glands absent or sparse, inconspicuous.
ascending, 0.5–2(–2.5) dm, lengths 1.5–3 times basal 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.
2–12(–15) cm;
petiole 1–9(–12) cm, long hairs ± abundant to dense, spreading to ascending, 1–2.5(–3) mm, soft to weak, smooth, crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common, sometimes obscured;
leaflets usually ± overlapping, central broadly obovate to suborbiculate, (0.5–)1.5–2.5(–3) × (0.5–)1.5–2.6(–3.2) cm, sessile to subsessile, base cuneate to rounded, margins revolute, distal 1/2–2/3(–3/4) incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 3–6(–7) per side, ± approximate to ± distant, surfaces ± dissimilar, abaxial yellowish or grayish white, long hairs 1–2 mm, cottony-crisped hairs ± dense, adaxial grayish green, long hairs abundant to dense, crisped hairs absent, sparse, or obscured.
(0–)1–2.
5–40+-flowered.
(1–)2–7(–10)-flowered.
(0.2–)0.5–2.5(–3) cm.
0.5–3(–4) cm in flower, to 4 cm in fruit.
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.
epicalyx bractlets ovate to oval-elliptic, 3–8 × 2–5 mm, 2/3 to as wide as sepals, margins strongly revolute, red glands absent;
hypanthium 5–7 mm diam.;
sepals 4–8 mm, apex ± acute;
petals (5–)7–15 × 7–16 mm, significantly longer than sepals;
filaments 1.8–2.1 mm, anthers 0.7–0.8 mm;
carpels 150–250, apical hairs usually absent, rarely present (cottony), styles narrowly conic to tapered, ± papillate-swollen on proximal 1/5–1/2, 0.9–1.1 mm.
tan to brown, 0.8–1.3 mm, usually strongly rugose, without a corky protuberance.
0.9–1.3 mm.
= 42, 56, 63, 70.
= 14.
Potentilla norvegica
Potentilla villosa
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.)
Potentilla villosa is the only documented diploid species of sect. Niveae in North America and, almost certainly, it is fully sexual. It is a characteristic species of coarse-grained beaches and coastal cliffs from southwestern British Columbia to western Alaska and the Russian Far East, and also occurs on scattered mountains in the Olympic Peninsula and Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon (providing the higher elevational extreme). These southern populations, which have been called var. parviflora, tend to be smaller, more delicate, less hairy plants in general, with fewer and smaller flowers. At least some plants in some southern populations also have cottony hairs on the carpels.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
- Local floras: BC, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria
- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
