Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla elegans |
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sheep cinquefoil |
elegant cinquefoil, silverweed |
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Habit | Plants rosetted to ± matted; taproots sometimes ± fleshy-thickened. | Plants densely tufted to cushion-forming; caudex branches usually short, stout, sometimes embedded in old leaves. | ||||
Stems | prostrate to ascending, (0.3–)0.8–2(–3.5) dm, lengths (1–)1.5–3 times basal leaves. |
erect, 0.1–0.5 dm, lengths 1–2 times leaves. |
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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, ternate, 0.5–2.5(–4) cm; stipules: apex acute to obtuse; petiole 0.2–1.8(–2.5) cm, long hairs ± sparse, ± spreading, 0.2–1 mm, weak, glands sparse to abundant; leaflets 3, central obtriangular to flabellate, 0.5–0.7(–1) × 0.5–0.7 cm, petiolule 0–0.5 mm, margins flat, distal 3/4+ deeply 3–5-lobed (sinuses extending 2/3–3/4 to midvein), lobes unevenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 1–3(–5) per lobe, surfaces similar, green, brownish, or reddish, hairs absent or sparse, 0.2–0.5 mm, glands sparse to common (also densely punctate-glandular). |
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Cauline leaves | 1–2. |
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Inflorescences | (1–)2–11(–20)-flowered, usually openly cymose. |
1-flowered. |
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Pedicels | (0.8–)1–2(–4) cm, straight to ± recurved in fruit. |
straight or ± curved, 0–0.5(–2) cm in flower, to 5 cm in fruit. |
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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 linear, elliptic, or obovate, 2–2.2 × 0.8–1.1 mm, margins flat; hypanthium 2.5–3.5 mm diam.; sepals 2.2–2.5 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse; petals pale yellow, 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 mm; filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.4 mm; carpels 20–25, styles ± columnar, not papillate-swollen proximally, 0.7–0.9 mm. |
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Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, not carunculate. |
1.2 mm. |
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2n | = 14, 28 (Russian Far East). |
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Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla elegans |
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Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | |||||
Habitat | Rock crevices, blocky scree, mountain summits, mostly on acidic bedrock | |||||
Elevation | 100–1600 m (300–5200 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY; AB; BC
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AK; BC; NT; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East) |
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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.) |
For present purposes, Potentilla elegans is treated in sect. Aureae, as was done by B. C. Johnston (1985), largely on the basis of pragmatism. J. Soják (1994) places the species instead in sect. Dumosae Soják, which otherwise comprises several Himalayan species. (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. 194. | ||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae | Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | P. diversifolia var. pinnatisecta, P. pinnatisecta, P. plattensis var. pinnatisecta | |||||
Name authority | J. M. Macoun: Canad. Rec. Sci. 6: 464. (1896) | Chamisso & Schlechtendal: Linnaea 2: 22. (1827) | ||||
Web links |