Potentilla morefieldii

Ertter

Brittonia 44: 432, fig. 1. 1992.

Common names: Morefield’s cinquefoil
Conservation concernEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 181. Mentioned on page 168, 169, 177.

Stems 0.4–1.5 (–1.7) dm, lengths 2–3 times basal leaves. Basal leaves pinnate, usually at least 2 pairs of leaflets separate from terminal leaflets, distal leaflets usually distinct, 2–6 cm; petiole 0.2–1.5 cm, straight hairs abundant, ± appressed, 1–1.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, glands absent or sparse; leaflets 5–9, on distal (1/4–) 1/2–3/4+ of leaf axis, overlapping, proximal pair separated from others by 2–10 mm of leaf axis, central leaflets oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, (0.5–) 1–2 (–2.5) × 0.5–1.2 cm, petiolules 0–1 mm, distal 3/4 of margins incised 3/4 to midvein (sometimes medially cleft as well), teeth 3–4 per side, separate to slightly overlapping, (1–) 2–5 mm, surfaces ± to strongly dissimilar, abaxial grayish to white, straight hairs ± abundant, ± appressed, 1 mm, weak to stiff (especially on veins), cottony hairs abundant to dense, glands absent or obscured, adaxial greenish to grayish, straight hairs ± abundant, appressed, 0.5–1.5 mm, stiff, cottony hairs absent, rarely sparse, glands sparse. Inflorescences 3–15-flowered. Pedicels 1–2.5 (–3) cm. Flowers: epicalyx bractlets ± ovate-elliptic, 2–4 × 0.8–2 mm; hypanthium 2.5–5 mm diam.; sepals 3.5–5 mm, apex ± acute; petals 4–6 × 3–5 mm; filaments 1–2 mm, anthers 0.5–1 mm; carpels 15–20, styles 2 mm. Achenes 1.5–2 mm, smooth to faintly rugose.


Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Alpine tundra and fellfields, mostly on dolomite substrates
Elevation: 3500–4000 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Potentilla morefieldii is known only from the White Mountains and adjacent Sierra Nevada. Plants with similar aspect but lacking strigose vestiture occur in White Pine County, Nevada; their disposition is uncertain. Potentilla morefieldii is sometimes confused with P. breweri (sect. Multijugae), but the latter differs in having more or less similar leaflet surfaces with cottony hairs nearly as abundant adaxially as abaxially. Potentilla breweri also lacks the stiff adaxial leaflet hairs that characterize most species in sect. Concinnae, including P. morefieldii.

W. L. Jepson (1909–1943, vol. 2) misapplied the name Potentilla pseudosericea var. grandiflora Th. Wolf, which is a synonym of an unresolved species from the Rocky Mountains (B. Ertter 1992; Ertter et al. 2013), to P. morefieldii.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."-3timesbasalleaves" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Potentilla morefieldii"
green +  and white +
grayish +  and white +
green +  and white +
smooth +  and faintly rugose +
1.5mm +  and 2mm +
greenish +  and grayish +
green +  and grayish +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Barbara Ertter +
Ertter +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
Concinnae +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
less cordate or reniform +  and narrowly elliptic +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
coriaceous +
reduced +
free +  and distinct +
hairy +  and glabrous +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
oblanceolate +  and narrowly obovate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Morefield’s cinquefoil +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
not +  and aggregated +
3500–4000 m +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
not +  and aggregated +
deciduous +
on style scar +, hairy +  and glabrous +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
Alpine tundra and fellfields, mostly on dolomite substrates +
stoloniferous +  and short-rhizomatous +
straight +
stiff +  and weak +
less appressed +  and ascending +
crisped +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.5mm;2.5mm +
turbinate +, patelliform +  and cupulate +
crassinucellate +
bipinnate +, odd-pinnate +, subpalmate +, palmate +  and ternate +
opposite +  and alternate +
marcescent +
well-developed +
persistent +
cauline +  and basal +
reduced +
overlapping +  and separate +
cuneate +  and obovate +
linear +  and oblanceolate +
palmate +  and pinnate +
entire +  and cleft +
1/4 (?) +  and 3/4 (?) +
inferior +  and superior +
clustered +, biseriate +  and superposed +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
free +  and distinct +
obcordate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Flowering summer. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
subpinnate +  and pinnate +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
usually not much longer +
not arillate +
persistent +
free +  and distinct +
erect +  and spreading +
lanceolate +  and broadly ovate or deltate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Conservation concern +  and Endemic +
free +  and distinct +
not rooting +
reddish +  and green +
prostrate +  and more or less decumbent +
prostrate +  and erect +
1 +  and many +
not flagelliform +
palmate +  and pinnate +
linear;ovate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
deciduous +
distinct +
subapical +
in proximal 1/5 +, not papillate-swollen +, filiform +  and filiform-tapered +
rough-thickened +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
not fleshy +
Potentilla morefieldii +
Potentilla sect. Concinnae +
species +
separate;slightly overlapping +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
3 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
inconspicuous +
enlarged +
usually rosetted +  and tufted +
biennial +, annual +  and perennial +
herb +  and matted +