Rosaceae
Potentilla flabellifolia

Fan-Leaf Cinquefoil

Cluster of upright stems and basal leaves sometimes flattened by snow. Leaves fan-shaped, roundish in outline, palmately divided to 3 hairless leaflets, each usually with 7 uneven teeth, looking much like a strawberry. Flower stems with few smaller leaves, topped with several flowers. Flower in hairy, glandular cup, bright yellow petals to 1/2 in. long, stamens about 20. Grows in moist meadows, scree, at high to alpine elevations. Somewhat similar but hairier P. villosa has leathery leaflets white-woolly below, hairless above, coarsely toothed on outer half; only 1–2 flowers atop flower stalks; grows from sea level to alpine.

  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Flowering Time: All Summer
  • Life Cycle: Perennial
  • Height: 6--12 inches
  • Habitat: Alpine, Subalpine
  • Found In: West Gorge, Steens, Wallowas, Crater Lake Np, N Cascades Np, Mt. Rainier Np, Olympic Np
  • Native: Yes

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