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

Mogollon cinquefoil, Navajo cinquefoil

Black Rock potentilla, Soldier Meadow or Black Rock cinquefoil, soldier meadows cinquefoil

Habit Plants ± rosetted; taproots fleshy-thickened.
Stems

0.2–1.5(–2) dm.

± prostrate, sometimes ascending in supporting vegetation, 1.5–5 dm, lengths 2–3 times basal leaves.

Basal leaves

palmate, rarely ternate, (1–)2–7(–18) cm;

petiole (0.5–)1–5(–11) cm, long hairs sparse to abundant, ± spreading (to ascending), 1–3(–4) mm, ± weak, glands ± abundant;

leaflets (3–)5(–7), central flabellate to obovate-cuneate or oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3(–8) × 0.5–2 cm, not or ± petiolulate, distal 2/3–3/4 of margins evenly to unevenly incised 1/5–3/4 to midvein, sometimes deeply lobed as well, teeth 2–9 per side (some secondarily toothed as well), surfaces green, long hairs sparse to common, 1–2 mm (late-season leaves and adaxial surfaces sometimes nearly glabrate), glands sparse to abundant.

pinnate with distal leaflets ± confluent, 5–12(–18) × 1–1.5(–2) cm;

petiole 0.5–1(–1.5) cm, straight hairs absent, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;

primary lateral leaflets (5–)10–15(–20) per side, on nearly whole leaf axis, ± overlapping, largest ones (or leaflet lobes) elliptic, 0.4–1(–2) × 0.2–0.5(–1) cm, simple and entire or 2(–3)-fid to base (sometimes shallowly toothed as well), segments 1–2(–3), narrowly to broadly elliptic, 4–10(–20) × (1–)2–3 mm, apical tufts absent or less than 0.5 mm, surfaces green, glaucous, straight hairs absent or sparse to common, tightly appressed, 0.5 mm or less, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.

Cauline leaves

2–4.

Inflorescences

(1–)3–15-flowered.

(5–)10–20-flowered, loosely cymose.

Pedicels

0.5–1.5(–2) cm.

0.8–3(–4) cm, straight to ± recurved in fruit.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate-elliptic, 1.5–3(–5) × 0.5–1.5 mm;

hypanthium 2.5–4 mm diam.;

sepals (2.5–)3–5(–6) mm, apex ± acute;

petals nearly white abaxially, pale yellow adaxially, narrowly obcordate, 3–6(–8) × 2.5–5 mm;

filaments 1.5–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm;

carpels 4–12, styles 2–3 mm.

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate-elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 1.5–2.5(–3) × 1 mm;

hypanthium 2–5 mm diam.;

sepals (3–)4–5(–6) mm, apex acute to acuminate;

petals (3.5–)4.5–6.5 × 2.5–4 mm;

filaments 1.5–3 mm, anthers 0.6–0.8 mm;

carpels 3–10, styles 2–2.5 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, ± rugose.

1.8–2.2 mm, smooth to ± rugose, not carunculate.

Short

hairs well differentiated from long hairs, ± abundant to dense throughout.

Potentilla subviscosa

Potentilla basaltica

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Moist, subalkaline meadows in shrub steppe
Elevation 1300–1600 m (4300–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

Potentilla basaltica is very distinctive in its glaucous, highly divided cylindric leaves with leaflets arranged in four ranks. The leaves strongly resemble those of some species of Ivesia, especially I. kingii S. Watson, but molecular analysis (B. Ertter et al. 1998) confirms a relationship with other members of sect. Multijugae.

Potentilla basaltica is known from only two localities, one in Lassen County, California, and the other in Humboldt County, Nevada. Both populations are highly localized, and P. basaltica is a candidate for federal listing as well as of conservation concern in both states.

The epithet basaltica was chosen as a reference to the Black Rock Desert, not habitat.

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

Key
1. Leaves often notably seasonally dimorphic; leaflets: early-season evenly to unevenly incised 1/2–3/4 to midvein (sometimes deeply lobed as well), teeth 3–7 per side (sometimes secondarily toothed); late-season evenly incised 1/5–1/4 to midvein, teeth 6–9 per side; petioles: long hairs 1–1.5(–3) mm; n Arizona and New Mexico, barely entering Colorado.
var. subviscosa
1. Leaves not notably seasonally dimorphic; leaflets ± evenly incised 1/4–1/2 to midvein, teeth 2–4(–6 in late-season) per side; petioles: long hairs 2–3(–4) mm; Santa Catalina and Rincon mountains and Sierra Ancha, se Arizona.
var. ramulosa
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 184. FNA vol. 9, p. 176.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Subviscosae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae
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. simplex, P. sterilis, P. stipularis, P. subgorodkovii, P. subjuga, P. subvahliana, 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. subviscosa var. ramulosa, P. subviscosa var. subviscosa
Name authority Greene: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 8: 97. (1881) Tiehm & Ertter: Brittonia 36: 228, fig. 1. (1984)
Web links