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Habit Perennials, rosetted or tufted, not stoloniferous; taproots not fleshy-thickened; vestiture mostly of long hairs (and crisped hairs in inflorescence), glands absent or sparse to abundant, sometimes red (P. rubella). Herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs.
Stems

ascending to erect, not flagelliform, not rooting at nodes, lateral to persistent basal rosettes, (0.2–)1–5(–7) dm, lengths usually 2–5 times basal leaves, rarely shorter than leaves.

Leaves

basal not in ranks;

cauline 1–3;

primary leaves palmate, 3–25(–35) cm;

petiole: long hairs spreading to appressed, weak to stiff, glands absent or sparse to common;

leaflets (4–)5–11, at tip of leaf axis, ± overlapping or not, narrowly oblanceolate or oblanceolate-elliptic to obovate, margins flat, distal 1/2–3/4+ evenly incised 1/4–1/3(–1/2) to midvein, teeth 1–10(–13) per side, or distal 1/4 or less incised less than 1/10(–1/4) to midvein, teeth 1–2(–5) per side (P. stipularis), surfaces ± similar, green to pale green or reddish, sometimes glaucous, long hairs absent or weak to stiff, cottony hairs absent.

alternate, rarely opposite, pinnately compound, sometimes simple or palmately compound;

stipules present, rarely absent.

Inflorescences

(1–)2–20-flowered, usually cymose, open.

Pedicels

usually ± straight in fruit, sometimes ± curved (P. thuringiaca), 1–3(–6) cm, proximal often much longer than distal.

Flowers

5-merous;

hypanthium 2.5–5 mm diam.;

petals yellow, ± obcordate, (4–)5–10 mm, longer than sepals, apex retuse;

stamens ca. 20;

styles subapical, ± columnar, rarely columnar-filiform, to tapered, not or ± papillate-swollen proximally, 0.7–1.3 mm.

torus usually enlarged, sometimes small or absent;

carpels 1–260(–450), distinct, free, styles distinct, rarely connate (Roseae);

ovules 1(or 2), collateral (Rubeae) or superposed (Fallugia, Filipendula).

Fruits

achenes or aggregated achenes sometimes with fleshy, urn-shaped hypanthium or enlarged torus, sometimes aggregated drupelets;

styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate but not plumose in Geum).

Achenes

smooth to faintly rugose.

x

= 7(8).

Potentilla sect. Chrysanthae

Rosaceae subfam. rosoideae

Distribution
n North America; Eurasia
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda; Eurasia; Africa; Atlantic Islands; Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia
Discussion

Species ca. 8 (3 in the flora).

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

Variation in the number of genera in subfam. Rosoideae is due to differences in generic delimitation between D. Potter et al. (2007) and the authors of some Potentilleae genera. Cyanogenic glycosides and sorbitol are absent in the subfamily.

Tribes 6, genera 28–35, species ca. 1600 (6 tribes, 26 genera, 302 species, including 1 hybrid, in the flora)

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

Key
1. Cauline leaves: stipules fused with less than 1/3 of petiole, free portion longer than fused portion; basal leaves: distal 2/3–3/4+ of leaflet margins with (4–)6–10(–13) teeth per side; petiole hairs ± spreading, 1–2.5 mm; introduced; Quebec and Rhode Island.
P. thuringiaca
1. Cauline leaves: stipules fused with all or most of petiole, free portion shorter than fused portion; basal leaves: distal 1/10–1/2 or less of leaflet margins with 1–2(–5) teeth per side; petiole hairs absent or appressed to spreading, 0.5–1.5 mm; native; Alaska and Greenland
→ 2
2. Leaflets 7–11, margins incised in distal 1/4 or less; glands mostly absent.
P. stipularis
2. Leaflets (4–)5(–6), margins incised in distal ± 1/2; glands sparse to abundant (especially on pedicels, epicalyx bractlets, and sepals).
P. rubella
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 146. Authors: Reidar Elven, Barbara Ertter, James L. Reveal. FNA vol. 9, p. 23. Author: Luc Brouillet.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla Rosaceae
Subordinate taxa
P. rubella, P. stipularis, P. thuringiaca
Synonyms P. unranked Chrysanthae
Name authority (Th. Wolf) Juzepczuk: in V. L. Komarov et al., Fl. URSS 10: 180. (1941) Arnott: Botany, 107. (1832)
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