Shrubby Cinquefoil
Scientific name: Potentilla fruticosa L.
Diagnostic features Deciduous erect or spreading shrub to 1m. Leaves pinnate, with (3)5-7(9) leaflets. Flowers 1-many in cymes, functionally dioecious. Petals yellow, 6-16mm, much longer than sepals. Achenes pubescent.
Chromosome number: 2n=28.
Habitat Native; rock-ledges, river- and lake-margins in full sun.
Distribution Extremely local in 2 areas of North England and Co Clare, Northeast Galway and East Mayo, West Ireland.
This species is keyed out on Page 2285 in the Text Key.
Note Numerous garden cultivars, with white to orange petals, are widely planted in public places and may occur as relics; some might involve the white-petalled Potentilla davurica Nestl. (Synonym: Potentilla glabrata Willd.), from E Asia. |