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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.

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Potentilla villosa

Potentilla villosa Pall. ex Pursh

Villous Cinquefoil, Northern Cinquefoil, Hairy Cinquefoil

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Synonym(s): Potentilla nivea var. villosa, Potentilla villosa var. parviflora, Potentilla villosula

USDA Symbol: POVI4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)

A clumped perennial to about 10 in. tall. Basal leaves are divided into three, thick, leathery leaflets covered with silky hairs above, gray-woolly hairs below. Striking yellow, many-stamened flowers are clustered low above the foliage. Each of the five petals is sharply notched and usually bears an orangish spot at the base.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Fruit Type: Achene , Aggregate
Size Notes: Up to about 10 inches tall.
Fruit: Aggregated achenes.

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AK , OR , WA
Canada: AB , BC
Native Distribution: Mts. of WA & s.e. Alt., n. to Juneau, AK (var. parviflora); extending to n. AK & e. Asia as var. villosa
Native Habitat: Coastal bluffs; arctic tundra; rock crevices; talus slopes

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Rocky soils.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Description: Propagate by seed and division.
Commercially Avail: yes

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-23
Research By: TWC Staff

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