Early Cinquefoil
Potentilla concinna
Early Cinquefoil (Potentilla concinna) is a low native perennial with hairy, divided leaves and small yellow five-petaled flowers that often open before the leaves are fully grown. It blooms in spring to early summer and is fairly common at mid to high elevations in Black Hills mixed grass prairie, open forests and woodlands. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Rosaceae · Rose |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | Spring to early summer |
| Height | 2–16 cm (1–6 in) |
| Where | Mixed grass prairie, open forests and woodlands, at mid to high elevations |
| Also called | Elegant Cinquefoil |
| Synonym | Potentilla humifusa |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: A thick, woody rootstock.
Seed: Many small, smooth to lightly wrinkled achenes (dry one-seeded fruits), 1.5–2.5 mm long.
How do you identify Early Cinquefoil?
Look for a low tuft of mostly basal leaves, each with usually 5 narrow, toothed leaflets spreading from one point, gray to white and cottony underneath and often curled. Pennsylvania cinquefoil, by contrast, stands upright and has leaflets set along a central stalk.
When does it bloom?
Spring to early summer.
Where does it grow?
Fairly common from mid to high elevations in the Black Hills, in mixed grass prairie, open forests and woodlands.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: USDA Forest Service: Black Hills Native Plants; Flora of North America: Potentilla concinna; Al Schneider, Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions: Potentilla concinna; Colorado Wildbuds: Potentilla concinna.