Potentilla plattensis
Potentilla sterilis
Platte cinquefoil, Platte River cinquefoil
strawberry leaf cinquefoil or barren-strawberry, strawberryleaf cinquefoil
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.
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.
petiole 2–7(–17) cm, long hairs common to abundant, 1–2 mm;
central leaflets (0.8–)1.5–3(–5) × (0.6–)1–2(–3) cm, straight hairs common to abundant (sparser adaxially), glands absent or sparse.
1–3.
(1–)3–15(–20)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform.
1–4(–5) cm, ± recurved in fruit.
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.
epicalyx bractlets ± lanceolate, 2.5–4 × 0.8–1.3 mm;
sepals 4–6.5 mm, apex ± acute;
petals 4–7 × 3–5 mm;
filaments 0.8–2 mm, anthers 0.6–0.9 mm;
carpels numerous.
(1.3–)1.5–1.9 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.
1.5 mm.
= 70.
= 28 (Europe).
Potentilla plattensis
Potentilla sterilis
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 sterilis was collected from the coast of Newfoundland in 1928 (A. M. Ayre s.n., GH); no recent documentation of occurrence is known (J. Maunder, pers. comm. to L. Brouillet). Although previously treated as native (M. L. Fernald 1950; E. Hultén and M. Fries 1986), this status has been challenged (for example, A. Kurtto et al. in J. Jalas et al. 1972+, vol. 13). According to H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist (1991), the species is also rarely introduced in the eastern United States; no vouchers have been seen.
Potentilla sterilis is superficially similar to strawberry (Fragaria) but lacks the fleshy fruit; other differences include stolon structure, anther morphology, and style length and attachment.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
