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

Steens Mountain cinquefoil, varying cinquefoil

Mono cinquefoil, Pennsylvania cinquefoil, silky cinquefoil, strigose cinquefoil

Habit Plants rosetted to ± matted; taproots ± fleshy-thickened.
Caudex branches

sometimes sheathed with marcescent whole leaves.

Stems

prostrate to ascending, (0.7–)1.5–2.5(–4) dm, lengths 2–4(–5) times basal leaves.

decumbent to ascending, (0.2–)0.5–1.5(–2.2) dm.

Basal leaves

pinnate with distal leaflets ± confluent, 4–12 × 1–2.5(–3.5) cm;

petiole 1–3 cm, straight hairs absent (on early-season petioles) or sparse to common, spreading-ascending to loosely appressed, 1–2 mm, soft, cottony hairs usually absent, glands sparse;

primary lateral leaflets 3–5 per side, on distal (1/3–)1/2–2/3 of leaf axis, overlapping, largest ones cuneate to flabellate, 0.5–1.5(–2) × 0.5–1.5 cm, distal 3/4 to whole margin unevenly incised 2/3 to completely to midvein (blade often medially split as well), ultimate teeth or segments 2–5(–8), ± oblanceolate, 3–11 × 1–3 mm, apical tufts to 1 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to common (sparser adaxially), sometimes absent (except on margins), loosely appressed to ascending, 1–2 mm, soft, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common.

usually palmate, rarely also ternate on same plant or subpalmate, (1–)2–6(–8) cm;

petiole (0.5–)1–2.5 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, ± appressed, 0.5–1.2 mm, stiff, verrucose, crisped hairs common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to abundant but usually obscured;

leaflets (3–)5–7, proximalmost separated by 0–2 mm, central ± obovate, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) × (0.3–)0.5–0.8(–1) cm, petiolules 0–1 mm, distal 3/4 to nearly whole margin incised 3/4+ to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, (2–)3–6(–10) mm, apical tufts 0.5 mm, abaxial surfaces white, long hairs common to abundant, cottony-crisped hairs dense, short hairs and glands absent or obscured, adaxial grayish green, long hairs abundant, 0.5–1.5 mm, ± stiff, short-crisped (rarely ± cottony) hairs sparse to common, glands absent or sparse.

Cauline leaves

1–2(–3).

1–3.

Inflorescences

(1–)3–10-flowered, usually openly cymose.

(1–)3–10(–20)-flowered, congested or ± elongating in fruit, branch angle 5–30°.

Pedicels

1–3(–5) cm, straight to slightly recurved in fruit.

0.2–0.7 cm, proximal to 1.3 cm.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to elliptic, rarely ovate, 2–5 × 1–2 mm, sometimes apically toothed;

hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.;

sepals 4–7 mm, apex acute;

petals 4–7 × 3–5.5 mm;

filaments (1–)1.5–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;

carpels 10–25, styles 2 mm.

epicalyx bractlets narrowly elliptic, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) × 0.5–1 mm;

hypanthium 3–4 mm diam.;

sepals 2–4(–5) mm, apex obtuse to bluntly acute, glands sparse, obscured;

petals pale yellow, not overlapping, 2–4 × 2–3 mm, ± equal to sepals (slightly longer than in Inyo County);

filaments 1–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

carpels 30–50, styles 1–1.2 mm.

Achenes

1.5–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose, not carunculate.

1–1.4 mm.

Potentilla versicolor

Potentilla pseudosericea

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Rocky, alpine meadows, seasonally moist slopes, near streams or snowmelt Alpine fellfields, moist gravel, talus, on dolomite and quartzite
Elevation 2100–3200 m (6900–10500 ft) 3200–3600 m (10500–11800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Potentilla versicolor is most common on Steens Mountain in Harney County, Oregon. Collections are known from other mountain ranges in eastern Oregon (some possibly representing distinct taxa) and from near Island Lake in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada. The species often grows and, apparently, intergrades with P. breweri; it is usually distinct in its lack of cottony hairs. Petals, filaments, and styles tend to be somewhat shorter in P. versicolor than in P. breweri. Collections of P. versicolor have most often been identified as P. breweri, P. millefolia, or P. ovina.

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

Potentilla pseudosericea is currently confirmed only from the central Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater and White mountains of California (B. Ertter 2008). The species is similar to P. modesta but has a more tightly strigose, silvery vestiture and more numerous and deeply incised leaflets.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 171. FNA vol. 9, p. 209.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Multijugae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Rubricaules
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. subviscosa, P. supina, P. thurberi, P. thuringiaca, P. tikhomirovii, P. townsendii, P. uliginosa, P. uschakovii, P. vahliana, P. verna, 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. 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
Name authority Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 344. (1908) Rydberg: Monogr. N. Amer. Potentilleae, 98, plate 36, figs. 1–5. (1898)
Web links