Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla hyparctica |
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sheep cinquefoil |
arctic cinquefoil, subarctic cinquefoil |
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Habit | Plants rosetted to ± matted; taproots sometimes ± fleshy-thickened. | Plants cushion-forming; caudex branches short to elongate, slender, often embedded in old leaf bases. | ||||||||
Stems | prostrate to ascending, (0.3–)0.8–2(–3.5) dm, lengths (1–)1.5–3 times basal leaves. |
ascending to erect, 0.2–2(–2.5) dm, lengths 1–3(–4) times basal 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, (1–)2–8(–10) cm; stipules: apex ± acute; petiole 1–6.5(–8.5) cm, long hairs sparse to common, spreading to subappressed, 0.8–2 mm, weak to ± stiff, glands sparse to common; leaflets 3, central obovate to broadly obovate, 0.5–2.5(–2.8) × 0.3–2(–2.2) cm, petiolule 0–3 mm, margins flat or slightly revolute, not lobed, distal 1/2–2/3(–3/4) evenly incised ± 1/2 to midvein, teeth (2–)3–5 per side, surfaces ± similar, abaxial usually pale green, sometimes grayish, hairs sparse to abundant, 0.5–1.7 mm, adaxial darker green, hairs and glands sparse. |
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Cauline leaves | 1–2. |
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Inflorescences | (1–)2–11(–20)-flowered, usually openly cymose. |
1–3(–5)-flowered. |
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Pedicels | (0.8–)1–2(–4) cm, straight to ± recurved in fruit. |
straight, 0.3–3 cm in flower, to 9 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 narrowly to broadly oblong or ovate, 3.5–7 × 1.5–5 mm, margins flat; hypanthium 4–7 mm diam.; sepals 4–8 mm, apex subacute to rounded; petals pale or bright yellow, 4–9 × 4–6 mm; filaments 0.5–1.1 mm, anthers 0.2–0.4 mm; carpels 50–80, styles ± columnar, not or scarcely papillate-swollen proximally, 0.6–0.9 mm. |
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Achenes | 1.5–2 mm, smooth, not carunculate. |
1.1–1.3 mm. |
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Potentilla ovina |
Potentilla hyparctica |
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Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WY; AB; BC
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AK; MT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NL; NT; NU; QC; YT; n Eurasia; circumpolar |
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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.) |
Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora). Southern arctic and subarctic plants differ from the northern arctic ones in presumably independent features. Where the two forms are sympatric (western Greenland, northern Quebec, Baffin Island), they appear to remain distinct even in mixed populations and are accordingly treated as subspecies. Although some features of scattered plants in Alaska and Yukon approach subsp. nivicola Jurtzev & V. V. Petrovsky (described from northeastern Asia), such plants do not otherwise correspond fully with this taxon. Possible hybrids between Potentilla hyparctica and P. pulchella (sect. Pensylvanicae) are addressed in the discussion of sect. Pensylvanicae. Presumed hybrids with P. villosa from the Aleutian Islands, characterized by the combination of basally thickened styles and lack of cottony hairs on leaflet abaxial surfaces, have been named P. ×aleutica Soják. (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. 192. | ||||||||
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 | P. robbinsiana subsp. hyparctica | ||||||||
Name authority | J. M. Macoun: Canad. Rec. Sci. 6: 464. (1896) | Malte: Rhodora 36: 177. (1934) | ||||||||
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