Potentilla pensylvanica
(Prairie Cinquefoil)
Potentilla pensylvanica, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 0185
Potentilla pensylvanica, Four Mile Area, Chaffee Co. 0186
| Scientific Name | Potentilla pensylvanica | USDA PLANTS Symbol | POPE8 |
| Common Name | Prairie Cinquefoil | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 24736 |
| Family | Rosaceae (Rose) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description |
Life zones and habitat: Foothills to alpine (5300 to 13000 ft.); dry areas in fields, prairies, meadows. Plant: Perennial 2 to 14 inches tall; a few or more erect or sometimes decumbent, grayish-green stems. Leaves: Basal leaves up to 8 inches long, pinnately-compound; upper surface usually greenish, lower surface nearly white; 5-9 (sometimes 11) oblanceolate, leaflets, 1/2 to 1-1/4 inches long, the lower ones smaller and the upper 3 larger; leaflets cleft to about halfway with about 10 lobes. A few stem leaves. Inflorescence: Numerous yellow 5-petaled flowers in branched, open cyme, each blossom surrounded by leaf-like green sepals. Bloom Period: June to August. References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, SEINet and US Forest Service, Guide to the Common Potentilla Species of the Blue Mountains Ecoregion |
BONAP Distribution Map Map Color Key |
Colorado Status: Native |
© Tom Lebsack 2025
Banner photo: Castilleja rhexifolia and a brewing storm over the San Juan Mountains
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