Silvery Cinquefoil

(Potentilla argentea)

Silvery Cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea L.)

Alien:  Native of Europe.

Identification: An erect plant. Flowers yellow, with 5 broad petals, and numerous stamens. Flowers is small clusters at the end of branches. Stems and branches white-woolly. Leaves compound with 5 to 7 narrow leaflets. Leaflets with the outer margins lobed, not toothed, similar in appearance to the leaves of white oak. Leaflets with outer margins rolled under and undersides white and woolly. Plant 5 to 12 inches in height.

Distribution: Across Canada and southward Missouri and Kansas in the western part of our region and North Carolina in the east. Also occurs in the northern plains and western states.

Habitat: Silvery Cinquefoil is found in fields, particularly on dry, poor soils.

Flowering period: June to September.

Similar Species: The oak-shaped, narrow leaflets with their white and woolly undersides are distinctive.