Share

Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Search native plant database:
Name:    
Family:    

Argentina anserina (Silverweed cinquefoil)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Argentina anserina (L.) Rydb.

Silverweed cinquefoil

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Synonyms: Potentilla anserina

USDA Symbol: ARAN7

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A low, 6-9 in. perennial that sends up flowers and leaves on separate stalks. Solitary, 1 in., five-petaled, yellow flowers are held on slender stems above basal tufts of pinnate, silvery foliage.

This species, also occurring in Eurasia, has recently been moved from the genus Potentilla to the genus Argentina because of the solitary flower at the tip of the stalk. The Pacific Silverweed (Argentina anserina ssp. pacifica) grows along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to southern California; the runners and stalks of its leaves lack hairs or have a few hairs that lie flat. In ancient times Silverweed was grown for food and medicine. The cooked root is purported to have the flavor of parsnips or sweet potatoes. An extract from the root has also been used to tan leather. Attractive foliage; edible roots. Raw, boiled or roasted, the spring roots have been likened to parsnips, chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Medicinally, common silverweed was used mainly as an astringent in gargles, washes and teas for reducing inflammation and stopping bleeding of the digestive tract, kidneys and skin. (Kershaw)

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tap
Leaf Complexity: Pinnate
Leaf Shape: Obovate
Leaf: Whitish on surface
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 0-1 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AK , AZ , CA , CO , CT , IA , ID , IL , IN , MA , ME , MI , MN , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OR , PA , RI , SD , TN , UT , VT , WA , WI , WY
Canada: NB , NS , ON , PE
Native Distribution: Transcontinental Canada, s. to coastal New England, Great Lakes, IA, western mts. & CA
Native Habitat: Wet Meadow, Prairie, Field, Riparian, Salt Water Shorelines
USDA Native Status: L48(N), AK(N), CAN(N), SPM(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Moist loams.
Conditions Comments: Used for erosion control. Silverweed spreads by sending runners from the parent in several directions. These develop roots at nodes to form new plants.

Benefit

Use Food: Attractive foliage; edible roots. Raw, boiled or roasted, the spring roots have been likened to parsnips, chestnuts and sweet potatoes.
Use Medicinal: Medicinally, common silverweed was used mainly as an astringent in gargles, washes and teas for reducing inflammation.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Butterflies

Propagation

Description: The plant is so easily reproduced by stolons that it is not worth the trouble to grow from seed. Use stolon internode cuttings or separate rooted plantlets from parent plants in spring or summer.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Argentina anserina in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Argentina anserina in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Argentina anserina

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-08-21
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back