Bushy Cinquefoil

(Potentilla paradoxa)

Bushy Cinquefoil (Potentilla paradoxa Nutt.)

Identification: Plant erect, but heavily branched and bushy. Flowers yellow with 5 broad deep-yellow petals and numerous stamens. Flowers in groups of one or two are the end of the branches. Stem finely hairy. Leaves pinnately compound with 2 to 4 opposite pairs of leaflets and an apical leaflet. Leaflets coarsely and bluntly toothed, but not lobed. Base of leaf petiole with large, elliptical, pointed stipules. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Minnesota in the west, along the shores of the Great Lakes to New York in the east, southward to Missouri and Pennsylvania. Also occurs in the central and western parts of North America except for the California region.

Habitat: Bushy Cinquefoil is found in prairies and along lake shores.

Flowering period: June to September.

Similar Species: Prairie Cinquefoil is similar, but not as heavily branched. The leaflets of Prairie Cinquefoil are deeply lobed, not bluntly toothed.