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common cinquefoil, old-field cinquefoil, old-field five-fingers, potentille simple, simple cinquefoil

Rocky Mountains cinquefoil

Stems

initially erect to ascending to 5 dm, then arching above ground-level, becoming prostrate, flagelliform, not branched, rooting at distal nodes, (0.5–)1.5–12 dm.

(0.2–)0.4–1(–1.5) dm.

Basal leaves

persistent or ephemeral, usually palmate, 3.5–20 cm;

petiole 1–15 cm, long hairs ± abundant, appressed to spreading, (0.5–)1–3 mm, weak to ± stiff, glands absent or sparse, sometimes common;

leaflets 5(–7), central narrowly elliptic to obovate, 1.5–5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, distal 1/2–3/4 of margin incised 1/4–1/3 to midvein, teeth 4–8(–13) per side, surfaces similar to ± dissimilar, abaxial green to silvery white, sparsely to abundantly hairy, adaxial green, glabrate or sparsely to moderately hairy.

subpalmate to pinnate, (1–)1.5–4(–7) cm;

petiole 0.5–2(–4) cm, vestiture not or scarcely seasonally dimorphic, long hairs abundant to dense, appressed to spreading, 1–1.5(–2) mm, weak to ± stiff, cottony hairs usually absent, crisped hairs absent or sparse, glands sparse;

leaflets 3 at tip of leaf axis plus 1–2(–3) additional pairs separated from tip by 1–5 mm, on distal 1/10–1/3 of leaf axis, largest leaflets obovate to oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.3–1.2 cm, ± whole margin incised 1/2–3/4 to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, separate to overlapping, 1–4 mm, surfaces ± dissimilar, abaxial grayish green to white, straight hairs abundant, 1–1.5 mm, cottony and crisped hairs sparse to dense, rarely absent, glands sparse or obscured, adaxial green to grayish, straight hairs sparse to abundant, 1–2 mm, cottony hairs absent or rarely sparse, crisped hairs absent or sparse, glands ± sparse.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1 proximal to 1st flowering node, well expanded at anthesis, usually palmate, 2.5–6(–9) cm;

petiole 0–2(–4) cm;

leaflets (3–)5, often more elongate than those of basal leaves, ± elliptic to oblanceolate, sometimes obovate, 1.5–6(–7.5) × 0.5–2(–3) cm, apex acute to obtuse.

0–1(–2).

Inflorescences

solitary flowers at stolon nodes.

(1–)2–5(–10)-flowered.

Pedicels

1–5(–8.5) cm.

0.5–1.5 cm (proximal to 2.5 cm).

Flowers

5(–6)-merous;

epicalyx bractlets linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–5 × 1–1.5(–2) mm, often larger than sepals (especially in bud);

hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6 mm, apex broadly acute;

petals 4–7 × 3–6 mm, apex rounded to ± retuse;

stamens ca. 20, filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.6–1 mm;

carpels 20–50, styles 0.8–1.5 mm.

epicalyx bractlets ± ovate-elliptic, 2–4 × 1–1.5 mm;

sepals 3.5–5 mm, apex bluntly acute;

petals 4–6(–8) × 4–7 mm;

filaments 0.5–2 mm, anthers 0.5 mm;

carpels 10–20+, styles columnar-filiform, papillate-swollen at base, if at all, 0.8–1.5 mm.

Achenes

0.9–1.2 mm, faintly rugose.

1.5 mm.

Rootstocks

horizontal, irregularly thickened or moniliform, 1–8 cm.

Potentilla simplex

Potentilla saximontana

Phenology Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jul(–Aug). Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry or infrequently moist flats and slopes in pastures, dry meadows, roadsides, old fields, edges of mixed oak and conifer woodlands, often on acidic soil Alpine tundra and meadows, rocky slopes, talus
Elevation 0–800 m (0–2600 ft) 3200–4100 m (10500–13500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; MT; UT; WY
Discussion

The distinction between Potentilla simplex and P. canadensis is subtle, and the former is often misidentified as the latter; additional features to distinguish the two species are provided by M. L. Fernald (1931).

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

Potentilla saximontana is a small plant of very high elevations in the mountains of Colorado, the La Sal and Uinta mountains of Utah, and the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains of Wyoming and Montana. Although sometimes confused with P. rubricaulis (for example, W. A. Weber and R. C. Wittman 1996), the subpinnate leaves, open few-flowered inflorescences, and columnar-filiform styles make P. saximontana a distinct species.

The lectotype of Potentilla nivea Linnaeus var. dissecta S. Watson [= P. saximontana var. dissecta (S. Watson) Soják] has been tentatively included in P. saximontana (B. Ertter 2008), but P. saximontana is not otherwise known from the Canadian Rockies. See B. Ertter et al. (2013) for additional discussion.

The combination Potentilla rubripes Rydberg var. saximontana (Rydberg) Th. Wolf is incorrect, in that P. saximontana is the older name.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 134. FNA vol. 9, p. 166.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Potentilla Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Subjugae
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. 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. 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. 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. pseudosericea, P. pulchella, P. pulcherrima, P. recta, P. reptans, P. rhyolitica, P. rimicola, P. rivalis, P. robbinsiana, P. rubella, P. rubricaulis, P. sanguinea, 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. canadensis var. simplex, P. simplex var. argyrisma, P. simplex var. calvescens
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 303. (1803) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23: 399. (1896)
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