Native Plants
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.
Potentilla simplex
Potentilla simplex Michx.
Common Cinquefoil, Oldfield Cinquefoil
Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Synonym(s): Potentilla simplex var. argyrisma, Potentilla simplex var. calvescens, Potentilla simplex var. typica
USDA Symbol: posi2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (I)
A familiar plant with prostrate stems, which root at the nodes, and flowers and leaves arising from runners on separate stalks. Runners are 6-20 in. Five-parted leaves and five-petaled, yellow flowers.
Common Cinquefoil is a member of the rose family (family Rosaceae), which includes herbs, shrubs, and trees with mostly prickly stems. There are about 100 genera and 3,000 species in this worldwide family. Apples, pears, quinces, cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, loquats, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are important fruits. Roses, Cotoneaster, Firethorn, Mountain Ash, Spirea, and Hawthorns are common ornamentals.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb
Fruit Type: Achene , Aggregate
Size Notes: Stems initially erect to ascending, up to about 20 inches long. Become prostrate with age, rooting at nodes.
Fruit: Aggregated achenes.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Apr , May , Jun
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WVCanada: NB , NS , ON , PE
Native Distribution: Nf. & Que. to MN, s. to NC, TN, n.e. TX & KS
Native Habitat: Dry to moist, open woods; prairies; roadsides; waste places
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: Part Shade , ShadeSoil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Variable.
Benefit
Conspicuous Flowers: yesValue to Beneficial Insects
Special Value to Native BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACU | FACU | UPL | FACU | FACU |
Bibliography
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.Search More Titles in Bibliography
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 simplex in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Potentilla simplex in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Potentilla simplex
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-23Research By: TWC Staff