Slender Cinquefoil
Potentilla gracilis
Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis) is a native perennial with hand-shaped leaves of 5 to 9 sharply toothed leaflets, white-hairy beneath, and loose clusters of golden yellow five-petaled flowers. It blooms June into August in moist meadows, open woods and along stream banks in central and western South Dakota, and it is recorded in the Black Hills. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Rosaceae · Rose |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | June into August |
| Height | 20–80 cm (8–31 in) |
| Where | Moist meadows, open woods and stream banks |
| Also called | Graceful Cinquefoil, Northwest Cinquefoil, Western Cinquefoil, Prairie Cinquefoil, Fivefinger Cinquefoil, Slender Potentilla |
| Traditional use | The Okanagan-Colville used an infusion of pounded roots as a tonic and to wash sores, and the Thompson applied a poultice of mashed leaves and roots to wounds. |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: Thick rhizome (underground stem) and a branched, woody crown.
Seed: Tiny light brown to reddish achenes (dry one-seeded fruits), mature by late summer to early fall.
Germination: Seed is dormant and needs 60 to 120 days of cold, moist treatment or fall sowing. Cover it lightly. It usually germinates within 1 to 2 weeks after the cold period.
How do you identify Slender Cinquefoil?
Look for hand-shaped leaves with 5 to 9 narrow, sharply toothed leaflets, green above and silky white beneath, and loose clusters of 3 or more golden yellow flowers. Sulfur Cinquefoil, an invasive plant not in this guide, has light yellow petals and green leaf undersides.
When does it bloom?
June into August.
Where does it grow?
Moist meadows, open woods and stream banks, especially in central and western South Dakota. Plant monitoring in the Black Hills lists it. Across its wide range it also grows on grasslands and roadsides.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Potentilla gracilis; USDA Plant Guide: Slender Cinquefoil; American Southwest: Potentilla gracilis; pnwflowers.com: Potentilla gracilis; Jewel Cave National Monument Plant Community Composition and Structure Monitoring 2011 Annual Report.