The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Mono cinquefoil, Pennsylvania cinquefoil, silky cinquefoil, strigose cinquefoil

downy cinquefoil, potentille intermédiaire

Caudex branches

sometimes sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

decumbent to ascending, (0.2–)0.5–1.5(–2.2) dm.

ascending to erect, 2–5 dm.

Basal leaves

usually palmate, rarely also ternate on same plant or subpalmate, (1–)2–6(–8) cm;

petiole (0.5–)1–2.5 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, ± appressed, 0.5–1.2 mm, stiff, verrucose, crisped hairs common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to abundant but usually obscured;

leaflets (3–)5–7, proximalmost separated by 0–2 mm, central ± obovate, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) × (0.3–)0.5–0.8(–1) cm, petiolules 0–1 mm, distal 3/4 to nearly whole margin incised 3/4+ to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, (2–)3–6(–10) mm, apical tufts 0.5 mm, abaxial surfaces white, long hairs common to abundant, cottony-crisped hairs dense, short hairs and glands absent or obscured, adaxial grayish green, long hairs abundant, 0.5–1.5 mm, ± stiff, short-crisped (rarely ± cottony) hairs sparse to common, glands absent or sparse.

palmate or ternate.

Cauline leaves

1–3.

3–8, proximal ones (3–)5–14 cm;

proximal petioles (1–)2–10 cm, long hairs sparse to common, spreading to loosely appressed, 1–2 mm, weak, short or crisped hairs sparse to common, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets usually 5, central one oblanceolate to obovate, 2–4.5 × 1–2.5 cm, margins ± flat, distal 3/4+ usually unevenly, sometimes evenly, incised 1/3–2/3 to midvein (often with 1–2 incisions nearly to midvein), teeth 5–10 per side, surfaces similar or ± dissimilar, abaxial green to grayish green, long hairs sparse to common (especially on veins), 0.5–1.5 mm, soft to weak, short or crisped hairs ± sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse, adaxial long hairs absent or sparse, 1 mm, short hairs absent or sparse, crisped and cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.

Inflorescences

(1–)3–10(–20)-flowered, congested or ± elongating in fruit, branch angle 5–30°.

20–100+-flowered.

Pedicels

0.2–0.7 cm, proximal to 1.3 cm.

0.5–1.5(–2.5) cm.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) × 0.5–1 mm;

hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;

sepals 2–4(–5) mm, apex obtuse to bluntly acute, glands sparse, obscured;

petals pale yellow, not overlapping, 2–4 × 2–3 mm, ± equal to sepals (slightly longer than in Inyo County);

filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

carpels 30–50, styles 1–1.2 mm.

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, 2–5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, lengths usually 2/3, sometimes 1, times sepals;

sepals 3.5–6.5 mm, apex ± acute;

petals 3–5 × 2–3 mm;

filaments 0.8–2 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

carpels 40–70, styles 1–1.2 mm, scarcely papillate-swollen proximally.

Achenes

1–1.4 mm.

1 mm, rugose.

2n

= 28, 56 (Eurasia).

Potentilla pseudosericea

Potentilla intermedia

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Alpine fellfields, moist gravel, talus, on dolomite and quartzite Dry waste places along roadsides, ditches, other open sites, in grasslands, oak and conifer woodlands
Elevation 3200–3600 m (10500–11800 ft) 0–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; IA; IN; MA; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VT; WI; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla pseudosericea is currently confirmed only from the central Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater and White mountains of California (B. Ertter 2008). The species is similar to P. modesta but has a more tightly strigose, silvery vestiture and more numerous and deeply incised leaflets.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Potentilla intermedia is more common than P. inclinata at least in eastern Canada and New England.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 209. FNA vol. 9, p. 145.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rubricaules Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Terminales
Sibling taxa
P. albiflora, P. ambigens, P. anachoretica, P. angelliae, P. anglica, P. anserina, P. arenosa, P. argentea, P. arizonica, P. basaltica, P. bicrenata, P. biennis, P. biflora, P. bimundorum, P. bipinnatifida, P. brevifolia, P. breweri, P. bruceae, P. brunnescens, P. canadensis, P. concinna, P. cottamii, P. crantzii, P. crebridens, P. crinita, P. cristae, P. demotica, P. drummondii, P. effusa, P. elegans, P. erecta, P. flabellifolia, P. fragiformis, P. furcata, P. glaucophylla, P. gracilis, P. grayi, P. hickmanii, P. hippiana, P. holmgrenii, P. hookeriana, P. hyparctica, P. inclinata, P. intermedia, P. jepsonii, P. johnstonii, P. lasiodonta, P. litoralis, P. macounii, P. millefolia, P. modesta, P. morefieldii, P. multijuga, P. multisecta, P. nana, P. newberryi, P. nivea, P. norvegica, P. ovina, P. paucijuga, P. pedersenii, P. pensylvanica, P. plattensis, P. pulchella, P. pulcherrima, P. recta, P. reptans, P. rhyolitica, P. rimicola, P. rivalis, P. robbinsiana, P. rubella, P. rubricaulis, P. sanguinea, P. saximontana, P. sierrae-blancae, P. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, P. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, P. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
P. albiflora, P. ambigens, P. anachoretica, P. angelliae, P. anglica, P. anserina, P. arenosa, P. argentea, P. arizonica, P. basaltica, P. bicrenata, P. biennis, P. biflora, P. bimundorum, P. bipinnatifida, P. brevifolia, P. breweri, P. bruceae, P. brunnescens, P. canadensis, P. concinna, P. cottamii, P. crantzii, P. crebridens, P. crinita, P. cristae, P. demotica, P. drummondii, P. effusa, P. elegans, P. erecta, P. flabellifolia, P. fragiformis, P. furcata, P. glaucophylla, P. gracilis, P. grayi, P. hickmanii, P. hippiana, P. holmgrenii, P. hookeriana, P. hyparctica, P. inclinata, P. jepsonii, P. johnstonii, P. lasiodonta, P. litoralis, P. macounii, P. millefolia, P. modesta, P. morefieldii, P. multijuga, P. multisecta, P. nana, P. newberryi, P. nivea, P. norvegica, P. ovina, P. paucijuga, P. pedersenii, P. pensylvanica, P. plattensis, P. pseudosericea, P. pulchella, P. pulcherrima, P. recta, P. reptans, P. rhyolitica, P. rimicola, P. rivalis, P. robbinsiana, P. rubella, P. rubricaulis, P. sanguinea, P. saximontana, P. sierrae-blancae, P. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, P. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, P. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, P. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
Synonyms P. heidenreichii
Name authority Rydberg: Monogr. N. Amer. Potentilleae, 98, plate 36, figs. 1–5. (1898) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 2: 351. (1767): Mant. Pl. 1: 76. (1767)
Web links