Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Share

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.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:
Potentilla nivea (Snow cinquefoil)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Potentilla nivea

Potentilla nivea L.

Snow Cinquefoil, Snowy Cinquefoil, Villous Cinquefoil

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: PONI2

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

A densely tufted, 2-16 in. tall perennial with trifoliate, basal leaves often partially hidden by blackish-brown leaf remains. Each of the toothed, wedge-shaped or oval leaflets are covered with long, yellow-gray, silky hairs. Flowering stems have one to three flowers. The petals are deep yellow, fading to pale yellow.

 

From the Image Gallery

1 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Trifoliate
Fruit Type: Achene , Aggregate
Size Notes: Up to about 16 inches tall.
Fruit: Aggregated achenes.

Bloom Information

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

Distribution

USA: AK , AZ , CO , ID , MT , NM , NV , OR , UT , WA , WY
Canada: AB , ON , SK
Native Distribution: AK, s. in the Rockies to Deer Lodge Co., MT & CO
Native Habitat: River bars; alpine ridges; rock crevices

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Rocky or sandy 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

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

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

Metadata

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

Go back