Potentilla sect. Pentaphylloides
Rosaceae tribe Potentilleae
prostrate [to erect], flagelliform [or not], rooting at nodes [or not], lateral to ± persistent basal rosettes, 1–10+ dm, lengths (0.5–)1–5+ times basal leaves.
basal not or ± 2-ranked;
cauline (between flowering and/or rosette-forming nodes) 0–1;
primary leaves pinnate (distal leaflets sometimes confluent), (1–)3–50(–75) cm;
petiole: long hairs absent or ascending to weakly appressed, sometimes spreading, soft to weak, glands absent or very sparse;
primary leaflets (5–)7–21(–31[–51]) plus additional small leaflets interspersed, on distal (1/2–)2/3–4/5+ of leaf axis, overlapping or not, elliptic to obovate, margins revolute or nearly flat, distal (1/2–)2/3–3/4+ evenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth (2–)5–12(–16) per side, surfaces similar to strongly dissimilar, abaxial usually white, sometimes green, cottony(/crisped) hairs usually dense, sometimes sparse or absent, adaxial green to white, not glaucous, long hairs absent or weak to soft.
alternate, rarely opposite, pinnately (palmately) compound (simple in Alchemilla, Aphanes, and Chamaerhodos);
stipules persistent (absent in Chamaerhodos), adnate to petiole;
venation pinnate or palmate.
solitary flowers at stolon nodes [± cymose].
straight in fruit, (1–)2–45(–55) cm.
5(–7)-merous;
hypanthium 3–7 mm diam.;
petals bright yellow, elliptic to broadly elliptic, (4–)5–15(–20) mm, longer than sepals, apex rounded or slightly retuse;
stamens [5–]20(–30);
styles ± lateral [subapical or sub-basal], narrowly columnar-filiform, not papillate-swollen proximally, 1.5–2.5 mm.
perianth and androecium perigynous;
epicalyx bractlets present, sometimes absent;
hypanthium usually patelliform, cupulate, or campanulate, sometimes turbinate, saucer-shaped, flat-bottomed, or subglobose to ellipsoid or ovoid;
torus flat to conic or turbinate, enlarged (absent or reduced in Alchemilla, Aphanes, and Chamaerhodos);
carpels 1–260, styles basal or lateral to subterminal, distinct;
ovules 1(or 2), basal.
aggregated achenes (achenes in Alchemilla and Aphanes);
torus sometimes fleshy;
styles deciduous or persistent, not elongate.
slightly rugose and papillate.
Potentilla sect. Pentaphylloides
Rosaceae tribe Potentilleae
Species ca. 50 (1 in the flora).
The use here of sect. Pentaphylloides is contrary to the argument by J. Soják (2007) that the use of Pentaphylloides Tournefort by G. R. Boehmer (in C. G. Ludwig 1760) qualified as an unranked infrageneric taxon, making sect. Pentaphylloides Tausch a later homonym. In that Boehmer was citing synonyms, not infrataxa, sect. Pentaphylloides Tausch is the correct name for this section. The names sect. Chenopotentilla Focke and sect. Leptostylae (Th. Wolf) Guşuleac are superfluous and illegitimate.
Potentilla anserina is the atypical and only representative in North America of a primarily southeastern Asian section. Although provisionally retained within Potentilla, the morphological distinctiveness of the section has led to the recognition of Argentina as a segregate genus (for example, P. A. Rydberg 1908d; Á Löve and D. Löve 1975b; B. C. Johnston 1985; J. Soják 2010). Molecular analyses (C. Dobeš and J. Paule 2010; M. H. Töpel et al. 2011) have confirmed the section is a strongly supported monophyletic clade, albeit including some other Asian species treated by J. Soják (1994) as the segregate genera Piletophyllum (Soják) Soják and Tylosperma Botschantzev. Chloroplast markers (Dobeš and Paule; Töpel et al.) place this clade sister to all other Potentilleae; nuclear markers (Töpel et al.) indicate instead a sister relation to Fragariinae.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Genera 14–22, species ca. 860 (14 genera, 189 species, including 1 hybrid, in the flora area).
The base chromosome number for Potentilleae is mostly x = 7 (8 in Alchemilla and Aphanes; 14 in Comarum).
Variation in the number of genera recognized in Potentilleae is due to differences in generic delimitation between D. Potter et al. (2007) and the authors of Potentilla and segregates here (see 9. Ivesia and 8. Potentilla for discussion). In the former, Duchesnea, Horkelia, Horkeliella, and Ivesia are included within Potentilla. Likewise, Aphanes is included within Alchemilla by Potter et al. while it is kept distinct here.
Potentilla and its segregates and Fragaria are host to Phragmidium rusts, but not the other genera of the tribe.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Shrubs; leaf lobe margins entire; achenes hirsute. | Dasiphora |
1. Herbs, perennial, sometimes annual or biennial, or subshrubs; leaf lobe margins or apices ± toothed, sometimes entire; achenes glabrous (sometimes ± hairy) | → 2 |
2. Petals 0, sepals 4; achenes 1, enclosed in dry, urceolate or subglobose to ellipsoid or ovoid hypanthia | → 3 |
2. Petals and sepals usually 5; achenes 1–260, usually aggregated (sometimes on elongating tori), usually in (± open) patelliform, cupulate, campanulate, or turbinate hypanthia (not enclosed in dry hypanthium) | → 4 |
3. Herbs perennial; leaves basal, blades reniform to orbiculate, palmately lobed, sometimes palmately compound; stamens 4. | Alchemilla |
3. Herbs annual; leaves cauline, blades cuneate, deeply divided into segments, each lobed; stamen 1(or 2). | Aphanes |
4. Leaves all or mostly basal or proximal (if cauline, deeply pinnatifid), ternate or 2–4-ternate (sometimes simple and coarsely toothed apically in Sibbaldia) | → 5 |
4. Leaves basal or cauline, the latter usually reduced distally, odd-pinnate to palmate, rarely ternate or ± bipinnate | → 9 |
5. Tori becoming red and fleshy in fruit; leaf margins serrate to crenate | → 6 |
5. Tori hemispheric (not enlarged or fleshy) in fruit or absent; leaf margins entire or (2–)3(–5)-toothed apically | → 7 |
6. Leaves ± doubly serrate or crenate; stolons leafy; inflorescences: flowers solitary, axillary at stolon nodes; petals yellow. | Duchesnea |
6. Leaves serrate to crenate; stolons not leafy; inflorescences 1–10-flowered, cymes, axillary from leaf rosettes; petals usually white. | Fragaria |
7. Leaves pinnately compound or simple and deeply pinnatifid, margins entire, stipules absent. | Chamaerhodos |
7. Leaves ternate, margins toothed apically, stipules persistent | → 8 |
8. Petals ± yellow; stamens 5. | Sibbaldia |
8. Petals usually white; stamens 20(–30). | Sibbaldiopsis |
9. Petals deep red to purple, rarely pink, shorter than sepals; tori enlarged and spongy at maturity; horizontal stems sometimes floating, wetland habitats. | Comarum |
9. Petals yellow to white, rarely pink or red (then equal to or longer than sepals); tori not enlarged and spongy at maturity; stems erect to decumbent, not horizontal or floating even if in wetlands | → 10 |
10. Anthers dehiscing by continuous marginal slit (with a single theca); styles sub-basal. | Drymocallis |
10. Anthers dehiscing longitudinally; styles subterminal to lateral | → 11 |
11. Hypanthium patelliform to campanulate or cupulate to turbinate (not flat-bottomed); filaments not forming tube; petals white to yellow, sometimes reddish or pink tinged | → 12 |
11. Hypanthium ± cupulate or bluntly campanulate and flat-bottomed; filaments forming tube; petals usually white, sometimes pink-tinged, rose-veined, or cream | → 13 |
12. Plants not aromatic; leaves ± cordate or reniform to narrowly elliptic in outline, leaflets 3–15(–41); petals oblanceolate or obovate to obcordate to nearly round, rarely elliptic; carpels 3–260. | Potentilla |
12. Plants often aromatic; leaves planar to cylindric, leaflets (3–)7–161; petals linear or narrowly oblanceolate to obovate, sometimes obcordate; carpels 1–20(–40). | Ivesia |
13. Stamens 10; leaflets (3–)5–41. | Horkelia |
13. Stamens 20; leaflets 30–70. | Horkeliella |
