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

Kern cinquefoil, Wheeler's cinquefoil

spring cinquefoil

Habit Plants openly matted; caudex branches elongate, slender, sometimes rooting at nodes.
Stems

0.2–2.5 dm.

prostrate to decumbent, rarely weakly erect, 0.3–1.5 dm, lengths 1–2(–3) times basal leaves.

Basal leaves

palmate, 1.5–9.5 cm;

petiole 1–7 cm, long hairs abundant to dense, spreading to appressed, 1–2 mm, weak to stiff, glands ± abundant;

leaflets 5, central cuneate-elliptic to obovate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–1.5 cm, scarcely to distinctly petiolulate, distal 1/3 of margins evenly incised ± 1/4 to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, surfaces gray-green, long hairs abundant to dense, 1–1.5 mm, glands ± abundant, sometimes obscured.

not in ranks, palmate, 2–5(–10) cm;

stipules: apex acuminate to acute, rarely obtuse;

petiole 1–6 cm, long hairs common, ascending to appressed, 1–2.5 mm, weak to ± stiff, glands absent or sparse;

leaflets 5–7, central oblanceolate to obovate, (0.8–)1–3 × 0.4–1.5 cm, petiolule 0–2 mm, margins flat, not lobed, distal 1/4–1/2(–2/3) evenly incised ± 1/3 to midvein, teeth 2–4(–5) per side, surfaces similar, green, hairs absent especially adaxially or sparse, 0.5–1.5(–2) mm, glands absent or sparse.

Inflorescences

1–20-flowered.

3–5(–6)-flowered.

Pedicels

0.5–1.5 cm.

often recurved, 1–3(–4) cm, not much longer in fruit than in flower.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 1–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

hypanthium 2–4 mm diam.;

sepals 2–5 mm, apex ± acute;

petals ± paler abaxially, bright yellow adaxially, ± obcordate, 3–6 × 2–5 mm;

filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.5 mm;

carpels ca. 20, styles (1.2–)1.5–2 mm.

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate, 3.5–5 × 1–1.5 mm, margins flat;

hypanthium 2–4 mm diam.;

sepals 3–5 mm, apex broadly acute to obtuse;

petals yellow, 5–8(–10) × 4–6 mm;

filaments 0.8–2 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;

carpels 40–60, styles ± columnar, not papillate-swollen proximally, 1 mm.

Achenes

1–1.5 mm, lightly rugose.

1.5–2 mm.

Short

hairs not well differentiated from long hairs, absent or sparse throughout.

2n

= 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 84 (Europe).

Potentilla wheeleri

Potentilla verna

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Sandy flats, streamsides, lake margins, open conifer woodlands, alpine fellfields Dry roadsides and lawns
Elevation 1800–3500 m (5900–11500 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MI; MN; ON; Europe [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Potentilla wheeleri is found in the southern Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. Compact plants on the summit of Mount San Gorgonio, described by Jepson as var. paupercula, show no consistent difference to justify their taxonomic segregation. Variety viscidula Rydberg has been misapplied to Arizona populations now called P. rhyolitica. Plants identified as P. wheeleri (excluding P. rimicola) from the Sierra San Pedro Mártir (Baja California) stand as a distinct species, P. luteosericea Rydberg (= P. pinetorum Wiggins).

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

The use of the name Potentilla verna here reflects the successful proposal by J. Soják (2009) to conserve P. verna with a conserved type. Alternatives in recent use include P. neumanniana Reichenbach (misapplied) and P. tabernaemontani. The species has an established horticultural presence, primarily as a ground cover, and is to be expected in North America beyond where reported here.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 185. FNA vol. 9, p. 190.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Subviscosae Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Potentilla > sect. Aureae
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. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola
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. versicolor, P. villosa, P. villosula, P. vulcanicola, P. wheeleri
Synonyms P. wheeleri var. paupercula P. tabernaemontani
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 11: 148. (1876) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 498. (1753)
Web links