Perennials, rosetted or ± tufted to openly matted, sometimes ± stoloniferous; taproots not fleshy-thickened; vestiture of long hairs, glands absent or sparse, not red. Stems: mostly ± prostrate, not flagelliform, not rooting at nodes, intermixed in persistent basal rosettes, 0.4–1 (–1.5) dm, lengths 0.5–1 times basal leaves, longer nonflowering often developing, sometimes rooting at nodes and forming new basal rosettes. Leaves: basal not in ranks; cauline (flowering-stems) 0–2; primary leaves ternate [palmate], (2–) 6–10 (–20) cm; petiole: long hairs spreading, weak, glands absent or sparse; leaflets 3 [–7], at tip of leaf axis, overlapping, broadly elliptic to obovate, margins flat, distal 1/2–3/4 evenly incised 1/4 or less to midvein [entire], teeth (3–) 4–7 per side, surfaces ± similar, green (abaxial often paler), not glaucous, long hairs weak, cottony hairs absent. Inflorescences solitary flowers or 2–3-flowered, ± cymose, open. Pedicels often recurved in fruit, 1–3 cm, proximal not much longer than distal. Flowers 5-merous; hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.; petals white, usually obcordate, 4–7 mm, equal to or slightly longer than sepals, apex usually ± retuse; stamens ca. 20; styles subapical, filiform, not papillate-swollen proximally, 1.5–2 mm. Achenes faintly rugose.

Distribution

Introduced; Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), Eurasia

Discussion

Species 6 (1 in the flora).

Section Lupinoides belongs to the Alba clade of M. H. Töpel et al. (2011), which is an early radiation of Potentilla in southern Europe and southwestern Asia (C. Dobeš and J. Paule 2010). In addition to the species included here, P. alba Linnaeus has been reported in Massachusetts (B. A. Sorrie 2005) and Connecticut; it has apparently not become naturalized. Plants of P. alba are not stoloniferous and the five leaflets are nearly entire.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Potentilla sterilis

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