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

Platte cinquefoil, Platte River cinquefoil

Habit Plants rosetted to tufted; taproots fleshy-thickened.
Stems

0.2–1.5(–2) dm.

initially decumbent to sometimes ascending, becoming prostrate or supported by vegetation, (0.3–)0.5–3.5(–4.5) dm, lengths 1.5–2.5(–4) 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 ± distinct, 2–15(–20) × 1–3 cm;

petiole 0.5–5 cm, straight hairs common, tightly appressed, 0.5(–1) mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse;

primary lateral leaflets (3–)4–6(–8) per side, on distal (1/4–)1/2–3/4 of leaf axis, overlapping to separate, largest ones obovate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.5–1(–1.3) cm, distal (1/2–)2/3 to whole margin pinnately incised 3/4+ to midvein, ultimate teeth 5–10, linear-oblanceolate, 1.5–8(–10) × 1–2 mm, apical tufts less than 0.5 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to common (sparser adaxially), tightly appressed, 0.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or inconspicuous.

Cauline leaves

1–3.

Inflorescences

(1–)3–15-flowered.

(1–)3–15(–20)-flowered, loosely cymose, sometimes racemiform.

Pedicels

0.5–1.5(–2) cm.

1–4(–5) cm, ± 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 narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 2–5(–6) × 0.5–2 mm;

hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;

sepals 3–6 mm, apex acute;

petals 4–7 × 3–6 mm;

filaments 1–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm, usually ± 1/2 as long as filaments;

carpels 10–20, styles 1.5–2.5 mm.

Achenes

1.5–2 mm, ± rugose.

(1.3–)1.5–1.9 mm, smooth, often ± carunculate.

Short

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

2n

= 70.

Potentilla subviscosa

Potentilla plattensis

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist meadows, streamsides, reservoir margins
Elevation 300–2900 m (1000–9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; ND; NM; SD; UT; WY; AB; MB; NT; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Potentilla plattensis occurs mostly east of the Continental Divide from the Canadian Prairies to the mountains of New Mexico. The species barely enters Idaho at Monida Pass (Clark County). Populations also exist in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona and the mountains of southern Utah. The species is relatively uniform throughout its range but there is often significant seasonal variation, such that plants can be compact and densely strigose in early summer but elongate and subglabrous later in the season.

Where the ranges of Potentilla plattensis and P. ovina overlap, the two are sometimes difficult to distinguish. The habitats are usually distinct, in that P. plattensis generally occurs in moist valley bottoms and P. ovina occurs in rocky uplands. Differences in vestiture are also diagnostic: hairs of P. plattensis are 0.5 mm and tightly appressed; those of P. ovina are longer and looser.

(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. 173.
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. 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. 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
Synonyms P. diversifolia var. madsenii, P. plattensis var. pedicillata
Name authority Greene: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 8: 97. (1881) Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 439. (1840)
Web links