Potentilla

Scientific name

Potentilla L.

Common names

cinquefoil, silverweed

Family

Rosaceae

Similar genera

Comarum, Ranunculus

Native distribution

Most species are in arctic, temperatetemperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
, and montane zones in the Northern Hemisphere, a few are in Southern Hemisphere mostly montane zones.

Species cultivated

cultivated for ornamental or pond plants, though not commonly

Potentilla anserina L. [also offered under the synonym Argentina anserina (L.) Rydb.]

P. gracilis Douglas ex Hook.

P. glandulosa Lindl.

P. inclinata Vill.

P. pacifica Howell

P. supina L.

Adventive distribution

Species are widely distributed within the Northern Hemisphere, and extend well into the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South America).

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious, prostrateprostrate:
(adj) growing closely along the ground
to ascending, or erect rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
plant

Brief description

Small to medium bunched rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
. Stoloniferous, roots robust, often thickened to slightly woody; stem pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
to hirsute. Leaves mainly basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
, a few caulinecauline:
(adj) pertaining to or belonging to the stem
leaves present; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
often sparsely to densely hairy; stipules present, differing between basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
and caulinecauline:
(adj) pertaining to or belonging to the stem
leaves; bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
ternate, palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
or pinnatepinnate:
(adj) in the form of a feather; of, e.g., leaflets, lobes, or veins: arranged in two rows along an axis
; leaflets sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or with short petiolulespetiolules:
(n) the stalk of a leaflet in a compound leaf
, oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
to ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
to cuneatecuneate:
(adj) wedge-shaped; triangular, with narrow end at the base
, or flabellateflabellate:
(adj) fan-shaped; broadly wedge-shaped
, margins often variably divided and/or crenatecrenate:
(adj) (of a margin) with shallow, rounded teeth
to serrateserrate:
(adj) (of a leaf margin) bearing sharp teeth pointing forward or to the apex
, surfaces vary from glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
to tomentosetomentose:
(adj) covered in dense, matted, wooly hairs
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a few- to many-flowered cymecyme:
(n) a determinate, usually flat-topped or convex inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms earliest
or a solitary flower; pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
often pubescentpubescent:
(adj) (1) covered with short, soft hairs; (2) bearing hairs
; epicalyxepicalyx:
(n) a whorl of bracts outside the true calyx
bractlets 5; sepals 5, typically ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
or lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
or triangular, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
typically acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; petals 5, obcordate to obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
emarginate to rounded, yellow.

Natural habitat

wet places along seepages, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes; in seasonally inundated places along water ways and floodplains; in vernally to permanently wet meadows, oligotrophic wetlands, swamps and marshes

Additional comments

A large genus containing over 300 species and subspecies, of which none are true aquatics or wetland obligates. Some species may be found near water or tolerate a short period of shallow inundation, but the genus is typically terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
in rocky soils. Comarum palustre L. is often offered under the synonym Potentilla palustris (L.) Scop. The light colored undersurface of the leaf is distinctive.