Potentilla versicolor
Potentilla argentea
Steens Mountain cinquefoil, varying cinquefoil
hoary cinquefoil, potentille argentée, silver cinquefoil, silver-leaf cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil
prostrate to ascending, (0.7–)1.5–2.5(–4) dm, lengths 2–4(–5) times basal leaves.
mostly decumbent to ascending, 1–6 dm.
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.
palmate.
1–2(–3).
2–9, proximal ones 2–7(–10) cm;
proximal petioles 1–4(–7) cm, long hairs absent or sparse, ± ascending, 1–2 mm, soft, short and crisped hairs absent or obscured, cottony hairs dense, glands absent or obscured;
leaflets 5(–7), central one ± oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3 × 0.3–1(–1.3) cm, margins revolute, distal 1/2–2/3 evenly or unevenly incised 1/2–3/4+ to midvein, teeth 2–3 per side (more if lobed or secondarily toothed), surfaces strongly dissimilar, abaxial white, long hairs ± sparse (mostly on veins), 1–2 mm, weak, short and crisped hairs absent or obscured, cottony hairs dense, glands absent or obscured, adaxial long hairs absent or sparse to common, short or crisped hairs absent or sparse, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse.
(1–)3–10-flowered, usually openly cymose.
10–80-flowered.
1–3(–5) cm, straight to slightly recurved in fruit.
0.3–1.5(–2) 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 oblong to narrowly ovate, 1.5–3 × 0.7–1.2 mm, lengths 2/3–1 times sepals;
sepals 2–4.5 mm, apex ± acute;
petals (2–)2.5–4 × 1.5–3 mm;
filaments 0.8–1.5 mm, anthers 0.3–0.6(–0.8) mm;
carpels 30–60, styles 0.6–0.9 mm, often strongly papillate-swollen proximally.
1.5–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose, not carunculate.
0.8–1.1 mm, smooth to lightly rugose.
= 14, 28, 35, 42, 56, 62 (Eurasia).
Potentilla versicolor
Potentilla argentea
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.)
The bright, silvery vestiture of the leaves quickly distinguishes Potentilla argentea from P. inclinata and P. intermedia. Although treated here as introduced, some (P. A. Rydberg 1898; P. A. Werner and J. D. Soule 1976) considered P. argentea to be probably native in eastern North America.
The Potentilla argentea species group is an amphi- or apomictic polyploid complex that has been the subject of numerous cytological, sexual, and molecular studies (for example, A. Müntzing and G. Müntzing 1945; A. Müntzing 1958; J. Paule et al. 2011). Taxonomic treatments have ranged from a highly polymorphic single species to an abundance of species, varieties, and forms (T. Wolf 1908). This treatment is at the conservative end of the spectrum. Some New England references (R. C. Bean et al. 1967; F. C. Seymour 1969) distinguish plants with densely white-hairy adaxial leaflet surfaces as var. pseudocalabra Th. Wolf, a name based on plants from southeastern Europe. Molecular analysis by Paule et al. supports the conclusion by Wolf that the variety consists of intermediates between P. argentea and P. calabra Tenore. The optimum taxonomic disposition of var. pseudocalabra, and whether any North American plants are properly included, remains to be determined.
Potentilla argentea has been reported as an active agent in treating cirrhosis of the liver (N. T. Starostenko and V. N. Starostenko 1971).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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