Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Tracheophytes → Angiosperms → Eudicots → Rosids
- Order: Rosales
- Family: Rosaceae (rose family)
- Genus: Potentilla
- Species: Potentilla villosa Pallas ex Pursh
Common names
Villous cinquefoil, northern cinquefoil, hairy cinquefoil.
Description
Potentilla villosa is a rhizomatous perennial herb forming tufted clumps of several hairy to woolly stems arising from a thick, persistent basal leaf base. Stems reach 20–30 cm in height. The basal leaves are compound, divided into three veiny, toothed leaflets; the undersides are densely woolly to silky‑hairy. Leaves may also occur higher on the stems, similar in size to the basal leaves.
Inflorescences bear one to five flowers. Each flower has a five‑lobed calyx, five bractlets at the base, and a bowl‑shaped corolla with five notched yellow petals up to 1.2 cm long. Petals display a distinctive orange basal spot. The flower contains roughly 20 stamens. Blooming occurs from July through September. The fruit is an achene produced in clusters.
Distribution
Native to northwestern North America, its range extends from Alaska southward through British Columbia and Alberta to Oregon. Isolated records also exist in eastern Asia.
Habitat and ecology
A coastal plant, P. villosa occupies coastal bluffs, beaches, meadows, tundra, and alpine talus. It tolerates well‑drained, often rocky substrates and is frequently found in maritime environments.
Conservation status
NatureServe ranks the species as G5 (Secure), indicating it is widespread, abundant, and not at risk of extinction across its range.
References
Information compiled from botanical references including the USDA PLANTS database, NatureServe Explorer, and the Flora of North America.
