Family: Rosaceae
common cinquefoil, old-field cinquefoil, old-field five-fingers
[Potentilla simplex var. argyrisma Michx., more...]
Merel R. Black
University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)
Etymology: Potentilla: comes from the Latin diminutive of potens meaning "powerful" in reference to the medicinal properties of some species
Plants: erect to creeping, perennial, 2"-12" tall, smooth forb; thin stems trailing along the ground; long spaces between the rooting nodes
Leaves: palmately-divided into 5 toothed leaflets
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/3"-1/2" wide; solitary flowers on a thin stalk from the leaf axils; blooms April-June
Habitat: dry; woods, fields, meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Plants: erect to creeping, perennial, 2"-12" tall, smooth forb; thin stems trailing along the ground; long spaces between the rooting nodes
Leaves: palmately-divided into 5 toothed leaflets
Flowers: yellow, 5-parted, 1/3"-1/2" wide; solitary flowers on a thin stalk from the leaf axils; blooms April-June
Habitat: dry; woods, fields, meadows
Conservation Status: Native
Dry to dry-mesic prairies, oak barrens, pine barrens, fields, sedge meadows, blufftops, rock outcrops, oak savannas, sandy lakeshores, cliffs; forests of oak-pine, pine, oak, oak-hickory, pine-balsam fir-birch, maple-hickory, maple-basswood, hemlock-hardwoods, oak-aspen, pine-aspen-birch, maple-beech. Our other native species, most common in the southern half of the state and scattered throughout the north; absent from portions of the eastern counties.
- solitary yellow flowers
- palmately compound leaves
- tip-rooting stolons
- long silky hairs on stems and peduncles
- leaflets toothed more than halfway down
- stem 1 mm or greater
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 2, Wetland Indicator = FACU- Atlas of the Wisconsin Prairie and Savanna Flora: by T.S. Cochrane & H.H. Iltis: habitat, distribution infomation / flowering and fruiting times USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Dan Tenaglia's The Missouri Flora: Fabulous photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leave arrangement key. David G. Smith's "Delaware Wilflowers": Beautiful photographs; descriptions Illinois Wildflowers: Wonderful photographs; detailed descriptions; color and leaf arrangement key Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada"
Merel R. Black
Janice Stiefel
Merel R. Black
Emmet J. Judziewicz
Aaron_Carlson
