Species: Potentilla diversifolia var. diversifolia Lehm.

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Potentilla diversifolia var. diversifolia Lehm.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Rosaceae

Genus:

Potentilla

Species Synonyms:

Potentilla diversifolia ssp. glaucophylla (Lehm.) Lehm.
Potentilla diversifolia var. glaucophylla (Lehm.) S. Wats.
Potentilla glaucophylla Lehm.

Common Names:

variable-leaved cinquefoil
smooth-leaved cinquefoil
mountain meadow cinquefoil

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – Mackenzie District, British Columbia – Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

upland fescue prairie slopes

Canada:

subalpine to alpine meadows, rocks, and slopes

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Potentilla diversifolia var. diversifolia is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. Possible threats are inferred by occurrences in heavy populated areas, fragile habitats, or areas of possible planned developments.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 40 cm

Stems:

perennial; caudex stout, densely covered in remains of previous years stipules and petioles; stems several, loosely tufted, spreading to erect, often branched above, often tinged with red, silky-hairy to glabrous

Leaves:

mostly basal, petiole long, digitate to nearly pinnate, blade up to 5 cm wide; cauline leaves 1 or 2; stipules 1 – 2 cm long, margin usually entire

Leaflets:

5 – 7, 1 – 3 cm long, obovate to oblanceolate, base cuneate, glaucous, glabrous to sparsely strigose above and below, margin commonly toothed above the middle

Inflorescence:

cyme open, few to several-flowered

Flowers:

bractlets narrowly lanceolate; hypanthium 4 – 7 mm wide, saucer-shaped, villous to sericeous; calyx 4 – 7 mm long, lanceolate; corolla exceeding the calyx, 6 – 11 mm long, obcordate, yellow; stamens 20

Fruits:

aggregate of achenes, light yellow to brown

POTENTILLA KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Basal or lower stem leaves trifoliately compound	2
1 Basal or lower stem leaves pinnately or palmately compound with at least 5 leaflets	7

2 Cymes leafy, many-flowered; corolla shorter than or scarcely exceeding the calyx	3
2 Cymes not very leafy, few-flowered; corolla greatly exceeding the calyx	4

3 Corolla about half as long as calyx; stamens 10; stems soft pubescent below	P. rivalis var. millegrana
3 Corolla almost equal to the calyx; stamens commonly 20; stems stiffly hirsute below	P. norvegica ssp. monspeliensis

4 Petioles floccose with curly hairs only	5
4 Petioles with at least some straight, spreading hairs	6

5 Leaflets coarsely toothed but not lobed	P. nivea ssp. nivea
5 Leaflets divided into narrow lobes	P. nivea ssp. pentaphylla

6 Petioles up to 3 times as long as blade, with long and short pubescence	P. hookeriana ssp. hookeriana
6 Petioles more than 3 times as long as blade, with long pubescence only	P. hookeriana ssp. chamissonis

7 Lower leaves palmately compound	8
7 Lower leaves pinnately compound	14

8 Leaves densely tomentose beneath	9
8 Leaves glabrous or pubescent but not tomentose	12

9 Basal leaflets pectinately divided well over half way to midrib, lobes linear	P. gracilis var. flabelliformis
9 Basal leaflets deeply toothed or lobed, but not well over half way to midrib, teeth ovate or lobes wider	10

10 Flowers to 1 cm broad; stem less than 20 cm tall; leaves never greenish above	P. concinna var. concinna
10 Flowers greater than 2 cm broad; stems to 70 cm tall; leaves mostly greenish above	11

11 Leaflets greyish tomentose beneath, margin finely serrate or lobed	P. gracilis var. pulcherrima
11 Leaflets white tomentose, margin coarsely serrate	P. gracilis var. gracilis

12 Corolla shorter than the calyx	P. rivalis var. pentandra
12 Corolla longer than the calyx	13

13 Leaflet margins entire at the base; anthers usually 0.5 mm long	P. diversifolia var. diversifolia
13 Leaflet margins toothed to base; anthers usually 1.0 mm long	P. gracilis var. fastigiata

14 Plants glandular-villous; style inserted near middle of achene	P. arguta ssp. arguta
14 Plants not glandular-villous; style inserted near top of achene	15

15 Cymes very leafy, many-flowered; annuals or biennials	16
15 Cymes not as leafy, few-flowered; perennials	17

16 Lower leaves with 5 – 11 leaflets; achenes with a corky protuberance	P. paradoxa
16 Lower leaves with 5 leaflets; achenes without a corky protuberance	P. rivalis var. rivalis

17 Style shorter than or equal to mature achene	18
17 Style filiform, distinctly longer than mature achene	21

18 Style eglandular at base	P. bimundorum
18 Style glandular and thickened at base	19

19 Leaflets glabrous beneath	P. pensylvanica var. glabrata
19 Leaflets tomentose beneath	20

20 Leaflets whitish beneath, silvery-silky above	P. bipinnatifida
20 Leaflets greyish beneath, greyish and strigose above	P. pensylvanica var. pensylvanica

21 Leaflets dissected nearly to midrib; stems commonly 20 cm tall	P. plattensis
21 Leaflets dissected at most about halfway to the midrib; stems about 50 cm tall	22

22 Bractlets half as long as calyx, linear	P. hippiana var. filicaulis
22 Bractlets nearly as long and wide as calyx	23

23 Leaflets loosely tomentose and dull	P. hippiana var. argyrea
23 Leaflets silky and lustrous	P. hippiana var. hippiana