Potentilla versicolor
Potentilla ambigens
Steens Mountain cinquefoil, varying cinquefoil
silkyleaf cinquefoil, silkyleaf or giant or southern Rocky Mountain cinquefoil
prostrate to ascending, (0.7–)1.5–2.5(–4) dm, lengths 2–4(–5) times basal leaves.
(2–)3–7(–8) dm, lengths (1–)1.5–2.5 times 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.
pinnate, 15–45(–50) cm;
petiole (5–)8–20 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, ascending to appressed, (1–)2–3 mm, ± stiff, rarely weak, short or crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse, often obscured;
leaflets not conduplicate, lateral ones evenly paired, (3–)4–7 per side on distal ± 1/2 of leaf axis, most pairs ± decurrent, rachis winged, distal sometimes confluent with terminal leaflet, larger leaflets narrowly obovate, (2–)3–7 × 1–2.5 cm, distal 3/4+ of margin incised 1/3 to midvein, teeth 6–18 per side, 1–4 mm, surfaces ± similar, abaxial grayish, long hairs sparse to common (mostly on veins), 0.5–2 mm, ± stiff, rarely weak, short-crisped hairs absent or sparse to common, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common, adaxial green to grayish, long and short hairs not differentiated, sparse to common, crisped and cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.
1–2(–3).
(0–)1–3.
(1–)3–10-flowered, usually openly cymose.
(10–)20–60-flowered.
1–3(–5) cm, straight to slightly recurved in fruit.
(0.5–)1–3(–6) cm.
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 lanceolate to narrowly ovate or elliptic, 3–6 × 1–1.5 mm, 2/3 as long as to nearly equal to sepals, abaxial vestiture ± similar to sepals, not glabrescent, straight hairs sparse to common, crisped or cottony hairs usually absent;
hypanthium 3–6 mm diam.;
sepals 4–7 mm, apex acute to acuminate;
petals (6–)7–10 × 5–9 mm;
filaments (1–)1.5–4 mm, anthers 0.7–0.9(–1) mm;
carpels 20–30, styles (1–)1.8–3 mm.
1.5–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose, not carunculate.
1.4–1.6 mm, smooth.
= 82.
Potentilla versicolor
Potentilla ambigens
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.)
Of conservation concern.
Potentilla ambigens is one of the more distinctive species in sect. Leucophyllae, comprising exceptionally large plants with large, coarsely hairy leaves. Although sometimes confused with P. hippiana, P. ambigens lacks the crisped-cottony vestiture of that species and is usually morphologically distinctive even where both species occur together (D. G. Anderson, www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/potentillaambigens.pdf).
Potentilla ambigens occurs in Wyoming (at least historically), along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains to northern Colorado, and in scattered locations in the high mountains of New Mexico as far south as the Sacramento Mountains, Otero County. The species is of conservation concern in Colorado and has not been documented in Wyoming since 1900 (D. G. Anderson, www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/potentillaambigens.pdf).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
CalFlora
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
