Potentilla flabellifolia
Encyclopedia
Potentilla flabellifolia is a species of cinquefoil
known by the common names high mountain cinquefoil and fan-foil. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
to California
to Wyoming
, where it grows in higher elevation mountainous habitat, such as summertime meadows. It produces one or more erect stems from a branching caudex
and system of rhizome
s. It grows 10 to 30 centimeters tall, and is slightly hairy to nearly hairless. The leaves are ternate, divided into three leaflets. The basal leaves are largest, borne on long petioles
. Each has oval leaflets up to 3 centimeters long which are deeply cut into blunt teeth. Smaller leaves occur higher on the stem. The inflorescence
is a cyme of one or more flowers. The flower has usually five yellow petals up to a centimeter long on a calyx of pointed sepal
s and narrower pointed bract
lets.
Potentilla
Potentilla is the genus of typical cinquefoils, containing about 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the rose family Rosaceae. They are generally Holarctic in distribution, though some may even be found in montane biomes of the New Guinea Highlands...
known by the common names high mountain cinquefoil and fan-foil. It is native to western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it grows in higher elevation mountainous habitat, such as summertime meadows. It produces one or more erect stems from a branching caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and system of rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s. It grows 10 to 30 centimeters tall, and is slightly hairy to nearly hairless. The leaves are ternate, divided into three leaflets. The basal leaves are largest, borne on long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. Each has oval leaflets up to 3 centimeters long which are deeply cut into blunt teeth. Smaller leaves occur higher on the stem. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cyme of one or more flowers. The flower has usually five yellow petals up to a centimeter long on a calyx of pointed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and narrower pointed bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
lets.