Potentilla versicolor

Rydberg in N. L. Britton et al.

in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 344. 1908.

Common names: Steens Mountain cinquefoil
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 171. Mentioned on page 168, 169, 170, 172.

Plants rosetted to ± matted; taproots ± fleshy-thickened. Stems prostrate to ascending, (0.7–) 1.5–2.5 (–4) dm, lengths 2–4 (–5) times basal leaves. Basal leaves pinnate with distal leaflets ± confluent, 4–12 × 1–2.5 (–3.5) cm; petiole 1–3 cm, straight hairs absent (on early-season petioles) or sparse to common, spreading-ascending to loosely appressed, 1–2 mm, soft, cottony hairs usually absent, glands sparse; primary lateral leaflets 3–5 per side, on distal (1/3–) 1/2–2/3 of leaf axis, overlapping, largest ones cuneate to flabellate, 0.5–1.5 (–2) × 0.5–1.5 cm, distal 3/4 to whole margin unevenly incised 2/3 to completely to midvein (blade often medially split as well), ultimate teeth or segments 2–5 (–8), ± oblanceolate, 3–11 × 1–3 mm, apical tufts to 1 mm, surfaces green to grayish green, not glaucous, straight hairs sparse to common (sparser adaxially), sometimes absent (except on margins), loosely appressed to ascending, 1–2 mm, soft, cottony hairs absent, glands sparse to common. Cauline leaves 1–2 (–3). Inflorescences (1–) 3–10-flowered, usually openly cymose. Pedicels 1–3 (–5) cm, straight to slightly recurved in fruit. Flowers: epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to elliptic, rarely ovate, 2–5 × 1–2 mm, sometimes apically toothed; hypanthium 3–5 mm diam.; sepals 4–7 mm, apex acute; petals 4–7 × 3–5.5 mm; filaments (1–) 1.5–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm; carpels 10–25, styles 2 mm. Achenes 1.5–1.8 mm, smooth to faintly rugose, not carunculate.


Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Rocky, alpine meadows, seasonally moist slopes, near streams or snowmelt
Elevation: 2100–3200 m

Discussion

Potentilla versicolor is most common on Steens Mountain in Harney County, Oregon. Collections are known from other mountain ranges in eastern Oregon (some possibly representing distinct taxa) and from near Island Lake in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada. The species often grows and, apparently, intergrades with P. breweri; it is usually distinct in its lack of cottony hairs. Petals, filaments, and styles tend to be somewhat shorter in P. versicolor than in P. breweri. Collections of P. versicolor have most often been identified as P. breweri, P. millefolia, or P. ovina.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."-4(-5)timesbasalleaves" 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 versicolor"
not carunculate +
smooth +  and faintly rugose +
1.5mm +  and 1.8mm +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
Barbara Ertter +
Rydberg in N. L. Britton et al. +
compound +  and simple +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
Multijugae +
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 +
Steens Mountain cinquefoil +
Nev. +  and Oreg. +
not +  and aggregated +
2100–3200 m +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
toothed +, ovate +, lanceolate +  and elliptic +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 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 />) +
sparse;common +
Rocky, alpine meadows, seasonally moist slopes, near streams or snowmelt +
stoloniferous +  and short-rhizomatous +
straight +
sparse +  and dense +
loosely appressed +  and ascending +
sparse +  and common +
crisped +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
not differentiated +
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 />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.5mm;2.5mm +
turbinate +, patelliform +  and cupulate +
cymose +  and (1-)3-10-flowered +
crassinucellate +
bipinnate +, odd-pinnate +, subpalmate +, palmate +  and ternate +
opposite +  and alternate +
marcescent +
well-developed +
persistent +
cauline +  and basal +
reduced +
not +  and overlapping +
oblanceolate +  and obovate oblong cuneate flabellate or elliptic +
linear +  and oblanceolate +
palmate +  and pinnate +
inferior +  and superior +
clustered +, biseriate +  and superposed +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
free +  and distinct +
obcordate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Flowering summer. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (32 cm320 mm <br />0.32 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
often not much longer +
in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. +
not arillate +
persistent +
free +  and distinct +
erect +  and spreading +
lanceolate +  and broadly ovate or deltate +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
free +  and distinct +
not rooting +
reddish +  and green +
prostrate +  and ascending +
prostrate to decumbent +
1 +  and many +
not flagelliform +
palmate +  and pinnate +
linear;ovate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
deciduous +
distinct +
subapical +
papillate-swollen +  and filiform +
rough-thickened +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
green +  and grayish green +
not glaucous +
Potentilla sect. Candicantes +
fleshy-thickened +
Potentilla versicolor +
Potentilla sect. Multijugae +
species +
1 (?) +  and 5 (?) +
inconspicuous +
enlarged +
biennial +, annual +  and perennial +
plant +  and matted +