| Potentilla recta | |
|---|---|
| Yellow-flowering individuals | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Subfamily: | Rosoideae |
| Genus: | Potentilla |
| Species: | P. recta |
| Binomial name | |
| Potentilla recta L. |
|
Potentilla recta (Sulphur Cinquefoil or Rough-fruited Cinquefoil) is a species of cinquefoil. It is native to Eurasia but it is present in North America as an introduced species, ranging through almost the entire continent except the northernmost part of Canada and Alaska.
The plant probably originated in the Mediterranean Basin, and it was first collected in the 19th century in Ontario and in 1914 in British Columbia.[1] It is known as a minor noxious weed in some areas.[1] It occurs in many types of habitat, including disturbed, weedy places.
This perennial herb is a tufted plant growing from a woody taproot or caudex. It produces upright to erect leafy stems up to 80 centimeters tall. The leaves are palmate, divided into usually 6 or 7 leaflets, sometimes up to nine. The green to yellow-green leaves may be up to 15 centimeters long, with the central leaflet reaching 8 centimeters in length. The leaflets are hairy in texture and toothed along the edges. The inflorescence is a cyme of several flowers which are generally light to pale yellow in color, with white to gold-flowered individuals occurring at times. The plant may reproduce by seed or vegetatively by sprouting new shoots from its caudex.[1]