Marsh cinquefoil

Comarum palustre

Family: Rosaceae Genus: Comarum Species: palustre

Synonyms: Potentilla digitata, Potentilla angustifolia, Potentilla comariformis, Potentilla palustris f. glandulosa, Potentilla palustris f. typica, Potentilla palustris var. remotifolia, Fragaria pinnatifolia, Potentilla palustris var. subdigitata, Comarum tomentosum, Potentilla palustris var. remotifoliola, Pancovia palustris, Comarum palustre var. myriotrichum, Comarum palustre var. subglandulosum, Pancovia digitata, Comarum digitatum, Comarum angustifolium, Comarum palustre var. glandulosum, Comarum angustifolium var. parvifolium, Comarum palustre var. ambifaria, Potentilla comarum, Potentilla palustris f. ambifaria, Potentilla palustris, Potentilla palustris var. parvifolia, Potentilla palustris var. subsericea, Potentilla palustris var. stipulacea, Potentilla palustris f. subglabra, Potentilla palustris var. genuina, Comarum palustre var. villosum, Comarum palustre var. stipulatum, Potentilla rubra, Comarum rubrum, Pancovia angustifolia, Comarum palustre var. stipulaceum, Fragaria pinnatifida, Comarum arcticum, Fragaria palustris, Argentina rubra, Potentilla palustris var. villosa, Comarum palustre subsp. arcticum, Comarum palustre subsp. angustifolium, Potentilla palustris f. subsericea, Comarum palustre var. glutinosum

Marsh cinquefoil (en)

Gallery

Botanical Description

Comarum palustre (also placed in Potentilla as P. palustris), the marsh cinquefoil, is a perennial herb of the rose family with a long, creeping, woody rhizome that roots at the nodes and ascending flowering stems 15 to 50 cm tall, often flushed reddish. The leaves are pinnately compound with five to seven oblong, sharply toothed, greyish-green leaflets. The distinctive flowers have five small, pointed petals that are deep purplish-red, much shorter than the five large, spreading, star-like, dark purple-brown sepals, giving the flower a striking dark, almost sinister appearance. The fruit is a head of small achenes on a spongy receptacle. Circumboreal in distribution, marsh cinquefoil grows in bogs, fens, marshes, wet meadows, pond margins, and other waterlogged, acidic ground throughout the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Native Region: Alaska, Alberta, Altay, Amur, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, China North-Central, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, France, Føroyar, Germany, Great Britain, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Labrador, Magadan, Maine, Manchuria, Manitoba, Masachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mongolia, Montana, Netherlands, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newfoundland, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Poland, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Québec, Romania, Sakhalin, Saskatchewan, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Tuva, Ukraine, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Siberia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Yukon

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

Marsh cinquefoil was used medicinally by Native North American peoples. The Ojibwa employed it for gastrointestinal complaints and as an analgesic, and the Chippewa used it as an antidiarrheal remedy (Moerman, 1998). Its astringent rhizome and leaves were prepared as decoctions for stomach and bowel troubles.

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

262433

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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