Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla bruceae |
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sheep cinquefoil |
Bruce's cinquefoil |
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Habit | Plants rosetted to ± matted; taproots sometimes ± fleshy-thickened. | |||||
Glands | absent or inconspicuous, uncolored. |
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Stems | prostrate to ascending, (0.3–)0.8–2(–3.5) dm, lengths (1–)1.5–3 times basal leaves. |
ascending to nearly erect, (1–)2–5(–6) dm. |
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Basal leaves | pinnate with distal leaflets ± distinct, (1.5–)2–10(–13) × 0.7–3.5(–5) cm; petiole 0.5–3.5(–5) cm, straight hairs sparse to abundant, sometimes absent (var. decurrens), ± appressed to ascending, 1 mm, ± stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse, often obscured; primary lateral leaflets 3–6 per side (often with additional interspersed leaflets), on distal 1/2–2/3(–3/4) of leaf axis, ± separate to ± overlapping, largest ones narrowly cuneate-oblanceolate to ± obovate, (0.3–)0.5–2(–3.5) × (0.2–)0.3–0.8(–1) cm, distal 1/4 to whole margin unevenly to pinnately (at least distal leaflets of var. ovina) incised 1/2–3/4+ to midvein, ultimate teeth 2–9(–11), linear or oblong to ovate, 1–7(–9) × 1–2 mm, apical tufts 0.5–2 mm, surfaces green to grayish, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to abundant (sparser adaxially), sometimes absent (except on margins), loosely appressed, 0.5–2 mm, ± stiff, cottony hairs absent, crisped hairs sometimes sparse to common, glands absent or inconspicuous. |
not in ranks, ± subpalmate to subpinnate (proximal leaflets sometimes doubled, distal leaflets confluent and/or decurrent), (2–)5–20(–28) cm; petiole (1–)3–15(–20) cm, long hairs abundant, appressed to ascending-spreading, 1–2.5 mm, weak often flattened and twisted, sometimes grading to crisped or cottony hairs, short hairs absent, glands absent or sparse; leaflets 5–7, on distal 1/10–1/4 of leaf axis, ± overlapping, largest ones usually ± obovate, (1–)1.5–5(–6) × 1–3.5(–4) cm, margins flat, distal 2/3–3/4 evenly to unevenly incised ± 1/2 to midvein (often with additional incisions nearly to midvein), undivided medial blade 4–20 mm wide, teeth (2–)3–6(–8) per side (sometimes secondarily toothed), ± lanceolate, 4–11 mm, surfaces ± similar, abaxial ± lighter and hairier, gray-green to grayish, rarely green, not glaucous, long hairs ± abundant, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to common, cottony hairs usually absent, glands absent or sparse. |
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Cauline leaves | 1–2. |
1–2. |
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Inflorescences | (1–)2–11(–20)-flowered, usually openly cymose. |
5–50-flowered. |
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Pedicels | (0.8–)1–2(–4) cm, straight to ± recurved in fruit. |
0.5–3(–4) cm. |
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Flowers | epicalyx bractlets linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, sometimes doubled, 2–3.5(–5) × 1 mm; hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.; sepals 3.5–5.5(–7) mm, apex acute to obtuse; petals 4–7(–8) × 3.5–8 mm; filaments 1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.4–1 mm usually ± 1/2 as long as filaments; carpels 10–20, styles 2–3 mm. |
epicalyx bractlets broadly lanceolate to elliptic, 3–6(–7.5) × 1.5–2.5(–3) mm, hairs ± common to abundant, loosely appressed to ascending, glands absent or inconspicuous; hypanthium 3.5–5.5 mm diam.; sepals 5–10 mm, apex acute to acuminate; petals 5–10 × 5–10 mm; filaments 1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1.2 mm; carpels 15–30, styles filiform-tapered, papillate-swollen proximally, 2–3 mm. |
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Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, not carunculate. |
1.4–1.6 mm. |
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2n | = 63–73, 79, 87, 98, 129. |
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Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla bruceae |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||
Habitat | Dry montane meadows and adjacent slopes, in conifer woodlands | |||||
Elevation | 1200–3700 m (3900–12100 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY; AB; BC
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CA; NV; OR
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Potentilla ovina is here accepted as an implicit new name by J. M. Macoun for P. diversifolia var. pinnatisecta, in agreement with N. H. Holmgren (1997b). In contrast, B. C. Johnston (1980) considered the names heterotypic. Potentilla ovina has priority at the species rank over P. pinnatisecta by one month. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
As redefined by B. Ertter and D. Mansfield (2007), Potentilla bruceae is characterized by irregularly subpalmate, weakly villose leaves. Such plants form relatively consistent and extensive populations in dry meadows centered near Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, extending to the central Sierra Nevada and to the Warner Mountains in Oregon. This interpretation differs from that previously suggested by Ertter (1992), in which P. bruceae was interpreted as the catchall category for hybrids between P. breweri (sect. Multijugae) and P. drummondii. All three taxa were accordingly treated as varieties of P. drummondii. D. D. Keck (in J. Clausen et al. 1940) treated P. bruceae as a subspecies of P. drummondii; B. C. Johnston (1980) concluded that its placement as a variety of P. breweri was more justified. The three entities unquestionably intergrade (with the type of P. anomalofolia M. Peck possibly one result), but not beyond what is the norm for facultatively apomictic species of Potentilla. Chromosome numbers reported by J. Clausen et al. (1940) require verification as this species; the irregular behavior observed in meiotic material suggests that at least some of the individuals were hybrids. See discussion of 29. Potentilla drummondii regarding leaflet dissection and the inclusion of P. bruceae in sect. Graciles. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 171. | FNA vol. 9, p. 159. | ||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Graciles | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | P. diversifolia var. pinnatisecta, P. pinnatisecta, P. plattensis var. pinnatisecta | P. drummondii subsp. bruceae, P. drummondii var. bruceae | ||||
Name authority | J. M. Macoun: Canad. Rec. Sci. 6: 464. (1896) | Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 342. (1908) | ||||
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