Potentilla hippiana

Potentilla hippiana Lehm.

by Katherine Sides, Native Plants Class 2003
Common names: Horse Cinquefoil, woolly cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil, Hipp cinquefoil, cinquefoil, shaggy silverleaf.
Family: Rosaceae
Synonymy: Potentilla argyrea (Rydb.) Boivin, P. effusa Doug., P. diffusa Lehm., P. filicaulis (Nutt.) Boivin, P. leneophylla Torr. & James ex Eat.
Etymology: The generic name Potentilla comes from potens, meaning "powerful." The name was originally given to a related cinquefoil for its reputed medicinal uses. German botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann (1792-1860) described this cinquefoil in 1830, naming it for his friend Charles Friedrich Hipp.

Identification
Growth form: A perennial herb that reaches 1 to 2 ft (30 to 60 cm) in height (Peterson).
Roots: Branching caudex, crown with rhizomes.
Stem: Erect, leafy, with oppressed hairs.
Leaves: 3 to 9 silvery, toothed, pubescent leaflets, ¾ to 2 in (2 to 5 cm), and oblong and arranged digitately, larger basal leaves.
Inflorescence/flowers: Numerous showy yellow flowers, ¼ to ½ in (6 to 13 mm) across, 5 petals.
Fruit: Numerous tiny, greenish-yellow achenes.
Similar species: In Potentilla hippiana var. diffusa the leaves are greener above and less hairy.

Ecology
Life history: Perennial.
Native/introduced: Native to North America.
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: Blooms from late June to August/September.
Distribution: Grows in mountain meadows and forests at 7,000 to 11,500 ft elevation in Arizona and New Mexico, north to Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada.

Uses
May be grazed by sheep, used medicinally in teas and as astringent.

References
1. Epple, Anne O., Epple Lewis E. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. The Globe Pequot Press.

2. Kantrud, H.A. 1995. Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. Available: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/wildflwr/wildflwr.htm [November 25, 2003].

3. Kearney, T.H., and R.H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona Flora. University of California Press.

4. Mitich, L.W. Cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.)-The Five Finger Weeds, No. 51 of the series "Intriguing World of Weeds." [Online]. Available: http://www.wssa.net/subpages/weed/weedstoday/N_2_ [November 25, 2003]

5. Niehaus, T.F. 1984. Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Company.

6. Rydberg, P.A. 1954. Flora of the Rocky Mountains and Adjacent Plains. Hafner Publishing Co.

7. Tirmenstein, D. November, 1987. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (2003, October). Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [November 25, 2003].

8. USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Potentilla hippiana Lehm. by Katherine Sides, Native Plants Class 2003 Common names: Horse Cinquefoil, woolly cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil, Hipp cinquefoil, cinquefoil, shaggy silverleaf. Family: Rosaceae Synonymy: Potentilla argyrea (Rydb.) Boivin, P. effusa Doug., P. diffusa Lehm., P. filicaulis (Nutt.) Boivin, P. leneophylla Torr. & James ex Eat. Etymology: The generic name Potentilla comes from potens, meaning "powerful." The name was originally given to a related cinquefoil for its reputed medicinal uses. German botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann (1792-1860) described this cinquefoil in 1830, naming it for his friend Charles Friedrich Hipp. Identification Growth form: A perennial herb that reaches 1 to 2 ft (30 to 60 cm) in height (Peterson). Roots: Branching caudex, crown with rhizomes. Stem: Erect, leafy, with oppressed hairs. Leaves: 3 to 9 silvery, toothed, pubescent leaflets, ¾ to 2 in (2 to 5 cm), and oblong and arranged digitately, larger basal leaves. Inflorescence/flowers: Numerous showy yellow flowers, ¼ to ½ in (6 to 13 mm) across, 5 petals. Fruit: Numerous tiny, greenish-yellow achenes. Similar species: In Potentilla hippiana var. diffusa the leaves are greener above and less hairy. Ecology Life history: Perennial. Native/introduced: Native to North America. Photosynthetic pathway: Phenology: Blooms from late June to August/September. Distribution: Grows in mountain meadows and forests at 7,000 to 11,500 ft elevation in Arizona and New Mexico, north to Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada. Uses May be grazed by sheep, used medicinally in teas and as astringent. References 1. Epple, Anne O., Epple Lewis E. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. The Globe Pequot Press. 2. Kantrud, H.A. 1995. Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. Available: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/wildflwr/wildflwr.htm [November 25, 2003]. 3. Kearney, T.H., and R.H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona Flora. University of California Press. 4. Mitich, L.W. Cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.)-The Five Finger Weeds, No. 51 of the series "Intriguing World of Weeds." [Online]. Available: http://www.wssa.net/subpages/weed/weedstoday/N_2_ [November 25, 2003] 5. Niehaus, T.F. 1984. Peterson Field Guides: Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Company. 6. Rydberg, P.A. 1954. Flora of the Rocky Mountains and Adjacent Plains. Hafner Publishing Co. 7. Tirmenstein, D. November, 1987. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (2003, October). Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [November 25, 2003]. 8. USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.