Leafy Cinquefoil
Drymocallis fissa
Leafy Cinquefoil (Drymocallis fissa) is a native perennial with sticky, leafy stems, leaves of many toothed leaflets, and wide-open yellow flowers about 2.5 cm (1 in) across. It blooms May into August in open forests, on rocky slopes and along stream banks, and the Black Hills are an outlying part of its range. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Rosaceae · Rose |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | May into August |
| Height | 12–45 cm (5–18 in) |
| Where | Open forests, sagebrush slopes and stream banks; often rocky or disturbed ground |
| Also called | Leafy Drymocallis, Wood Beauty, Bigflower Cinquefoil |
| Synonym | Potentilla fissa |
| Note | Leafy and Tall Cinquefoil are easy to confuse, because their flower colors overlap: Leafy runs pale to bright yellow, and Tall white to pale yellow. Check the clusters and height too. Leafy has wide-open flowers on shorter stems, and Tall has tight clusters on stems 30–90 cm (1–3 ft). The 1986 Jewel Cave survey lists both. |
Roots, seeds & germination
Seed: Light brown achenes (dry one-seeded fruits) about 1 mm long.
How do you identify Leafy Cinquefoil?
Look for wide-open flowers with overlapping yellow petals 7–11 mm long, large elongated anthers, and leaves with 4 to 6 or more pairs of toothed leaflets, often with smaller ones between. Tall Cinquefoil has white to creamy petals, tightly packed clusters, and stems 30–90 cm (1–3 ft) tall.
When does it bloom?
May into August.
Where does it grow?
Open forests, sagebrush slopes and stream banks, often on rocky or moderately disturbed ground. The Black Hills hold outlying populations. The species is most abundant in Colorado's Front Range.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: Flora of North America: Drymocallis fissa; Marriott and Hartman 1986, A Survey of the Vegetation of Jewel Cave National Monument; American Southwest: Drymocallis fissa; coloradowildbuds.com: Drymocallis fissa; Minnesota Wildflowers: Tall Cinquefoil.