Potentilla plattensis
Potentilla reptans
Platte cinquefoil, Platte River cinquefoil
creeping cinquefoil, potentille rampante
initially decumbent to sometimes ascending, becoming prostrate or supported by vegetation, (0.3–)0.5–3.5(–4.5) dm, lengths 1.5–2.5(–4) times basal leaves.
soon becoming prostrate, flagelliform, not branched, rooting at some nodes, 1.5–10+ dm.
pinnate with distal leaflets ± distinct, 2–15(–20) × 1–3 cm;
petiole 0.5–5 cm, straight hairs common, tightly appressed, 0.5(–1) mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;
primary lateral leaflets (3–)4–6(–8) per side, on distal (1/4–)1/2–3/4 of leaf axis, overlapping to separate, largest ones obovate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.5–1(–1.3) cm, distal (1/2–)2/3 to whole margin pinnately incised 3/4+ to midvein, ultimate teeth 5–10, linear-oblanceolate, 1.5–8(–10) × 1–2 mm, apical tufts less than 0.5 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to common (sparser adaxially), tightly appressed, 0.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or inconspicuous.
persistent, usually palmate, 3–12(–30) cm;
petiole 2–10(–25) cm, long hairs sparse to abundant, tightly to loosely appressed, 0.5–1.5 mm, usually stiff, sometimes weak, glands absent;
leaflets (3–)5(–7), central oblanceolate to obovate, (0.5–)2–4(–7) × 0.3–1.5(–2.5) cm, distal ± 3/4 of margin incised 1/4–1/3 to midvein, teeth (3–)4–12 per side, surfaces similar, green, sparsely to moderately hairy.
1–3.
2–3(–4) proximal to 1st flowering node, usually well expanded at anthesis, usually palmate, 2–8(–20) cm;
petiole 0.5–6(–15) cm;
leaflets (3–)5, ± resembling those of basal leaves, apex rounded to obtuse.
(1–)3–15(–20)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform.
solitary flowers at stolon nodes.
1–4(–5) cm, ± recurved in fruit.
(2.5–)4–12(–15) cm.
epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 2–5(–6) × 0.5–2 mm;
hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;
sepals 3–6 mm, apex acute;
petals 4–7 × 3–6 mm;
filaments 1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm, usually ± 1/2 as long as filaments;
carpels 10–20, styles 1.5–2.5 mm.
5(–10)-merous;
epicalyx bractlets elliptic or oblong to ovate, 4–10 × 1.5–3.5 mm, often much larger than sepals (especially in fruit);
hypanthium 4–7 mm diam.;
sepals (3–)5–7 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse;
petals 7–9(–12) × 6–9(–11) mm, apex usually ± retuse;
stamens ca. 20, filaments (0.5–)1–2.5(–2.8) mm, anthers (1–)1.3–2 mm;
carpels 60–120, styles 0.6–1.3 mm.
(1.3–)1.5–1.9 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.
1.3–1.6 mm, ± rugose.
erect, slender to stout, 2–6+ cm.
= 70.
= 28 (Eurasia).
Potentilla plattensis
Potentilla reptans
Potentilla plattensis occurs mostly east of the Continental Divide from the Canadian Prairies to the mountains of New Mexico. The species barely enters Idaho at Monida Pass (Clark County). Populations also exist in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona and the mountains of southern Utah. The species is relatively uniform throughout its range but there is often significant seasonal variation, such that plants can be compact and densely strigose in early summer but elongate and subglabrous later in the season.
Where the ranges of Potentilla plattensis and P. ovina overlap, the two are sometimes difficult to distinguish. The habitats are usually distinct, in that P. plattensis generally occurs in moist valley bottoms and P. ovina occurs in rocky uplands. Differences in vestiture are also diagnostic: hairs of P. plattensis are 0.5 mm and tightly appressed; those of P. ovina are longer and looser.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Potentilla reptans is becoming widely introduced in North America, though not fully naturalized in some of the states indicated here. It may be confused with P. canadensis and P. simplex, but, in addition to the characters highlighted in the key, P. reptans tends to have more crenately toothed leaves than the more sharply toothed leaves of the native species. The plant has a history of medicinal uses similar to that of P. erecta. The cultivated double-flowered form is sometimes found established in weedy places.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
SW CO Wildflowers- Local floras:
BC, 
OR - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
