North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Potentilla canadensis

Potentilla canadensis L.

dwarf cinquefoil, running five-fingers

Potentilla canadensis (Dwarf Cinquefoil)

Image ID: 16454
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: POCA17
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Potentilla canadensis
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-08-21

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: POTEN
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Potentilla
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Cinquefoil
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 350-400 species, depending on the controversial circumscription. Potentilla here excludes Argentina, Dasiphora, Drymocallis, and Sibbaldia (for our area), but includes Duchesnea, following studies by Dobeš & Paule (2010), Soják (2010); and Eriksson et al. (2003).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Ertter, Elven, Reveal, & Murray in FNA (2014) [Potentilla s.s.]; Ertter & Reveal in FNA (2014) [Duchesnea]; Robertson (1974)=Z; Eriksson, Donoghue, & Hibbs (1998); Eriksson et al. (2003); Kalkman in Kubitzki (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ROSACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Rosaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Rose Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 85-95 genera and 2000-3000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, nearly cosmopolitan, but mainly boreal and temperate.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Phipps in FNA (2014); Potter et al. (2007); Eriksson et al. (2003); Kalkman in Kubitzki (2004); Ertter (2007).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: A low, creeping perennial of woodlands, forests, fields, lawns and disturbed areas.
STEMS: Stems unbranched, covered with silvery silky hairs.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate; petiolate; palmately divided into 5 wedge-shaped leaflets, these to 1 1/2 in. long each, the rounded upper half coarsely toothed; with long, silky hairs beneath and smooth to hairy above.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers solitary, on stalks, the first arising from the axil of the first well-developed stem leaf; yellow; to 5/8 in. wide; consisting of 5 rounded petals, 5 pointed hairy sepals, and many stamens circling the yellow center.
FRUITS: Fruit an aggregate of achenes.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 2-4 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Palmate
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: March-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Yellow

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
				x

FRUITING PERIOD: April-June

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Dry forests, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Dwarf cinquefoil is a loose, low-growing ground cover that produces small yellow flowers extending from the axils of palmate leaves in the spring. Native to much of the eastern US, this species prefers dry, open soil in fields, woods and on roadsides. Dwarf cinquefoil spreads by means of vining stems and will slowly colonize an open area. An indicator species for impoverished soil, it is the perfect ground cover for tough sites! Dwarf cinquefoil is a nectar source for the grizzled skipper and is frequently visited by several species of native bees.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
61	HORT	2010-11-24	Liloia	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
58	2013-0001	2013-01-03	61	View
2827	1987-0328			View
4271	1992-0427			View
4977	1995-0095			View
5823	1995-0950			View
6253	1995-1385			View
6769	1996-0432			View
9507	2021-0144	2022-08-19		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
75	58	15	NCBG staff	2011-04-01	View
4698	2827	8	NCBG staff	1978-11-01	View
6599	4271	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7396	4977	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8337	5823	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8908	6253	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9568	6769	8	NCBG staff	1996-03-28	View
13187	9507	37	Wait	2021-11-23	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: POCA17
USDA Common Name: Dwarf Cinquefoil
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Potentilla canadensis
COMMON NAME: Running Five-fingers
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, Pa, RAB, W; > P. canadensis Linnaeus var. canadensis - F, G, K1, K2, Va; > P. canadensis Linnaeus var. villosissima Fernald - F, G, K1, K2; > P. pumila Poiret - S; = P. caroliniana Poiret - S]
PHENOLOGY: Mar-May; Apr-Jun.
HABITAT: Woodlands, forests, fields, lawns, disturbed areas.
COMMENTS: Two varieties are sometimes distinguished (see synonymy); their distinctiveness and relative habittas and distributions are obscure. Var. canadensis is alleged to have the middle leaflet of the larger leaves 1.5-4 cm long and plants silky-pilose, the pubescence appressed or loosely ascending. Var. villosissima Fernald is alleged to have the middle leaflet of the larger leaves 3-6 cm long and plants long-villous, the pubescence loosely spreading to reflexed.
RANGE MAP: Potentilla canadensis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Rosaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Rose Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 85-95 genera and 2000-3000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, nearly cosmopolitan, but mainly boreal and temperate.
REFERENCE: Phipps in FNA (2014); Potter et al. (2007); Eriksson et al. (2003); Kalkman in Kubitzki (2004); Ertter (2007).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Potentilla L. (Cinquefoil)
SUMMARY: A genus of 350-400 species, depending on the controversial circumscription. Potentilla here excludes Argentina, Dasiphora, Drymocallis, and Sibbaldia (for our area), but includes Duchesnea, following studies by Dobeš & Paule (2010), Soják (2010); and Eriksson et al. (2003).
REFERENCE: Ertter, Elven, Reveal, & Murray in FNA (2014) [Potentilla s.s.]; Ertter & Reveal in FNA (2014) [Duchesnea]; Robertson (1974)=Z; Eriksson, Donoghue, & Hibbs (1998); Eriksson et al. (2003); Kalkman in Kubitzki (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Potentilla canadensis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Potentilla canadensis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

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

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 16454 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 23070 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 18526 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)