About Cinquefoils

Potentilla

The genus Potentilla is large and varied, part of the Rose family: over 300 species exist in the northern hemisphere, and Gray lists over thirty species for central and northeastern North America, which favor habitats varying from high mountainsides to beaches, marshes, or prairies. Of these, well over a dozen might be found in our vicinity. One species, Silverweed, that was long classified as belonging to the genus has since the 1990s been assigned to a new genus as Argentina anserina; its categorization remains debated. On the other hand, the Indian Strawberry, long classified as Duchesnea indica, has recently been included in the genus Potentilla on the basis of genetic information.

Positive identification of specimens in the field is often difficult because some species have quite similar characteristics. Confusion is also created by the varying use of common names; for example,"Prairie Cinquefoil" is used by Peterson to refer to P. pensylvanica, but by Hilty to P. arguta, which Peterson calls "Tall Cinquefoil."

Despite the common name, not all Cinquefoils are "five-leafed"--but all have compound leaves. Flowers, mostly yellow, have five petals and usually occur one to a stem.

Click on the links below for each species.

Not visible are the bracts, which are reflexed.

24 July 2020.

Prairie Blazing-Star, 24 July 2020