Potentilla caulescens

Potentilla caulescens is a tufted perennial herb in the rose family (Rosaceae) growing 10–30 cm tall from a stout, woody, branched caudex. The leaves are palmately compound with 5–7 wedge-shaped, toothed leaflets, often silky-hairy on both surfaces. White, five-petalled flowers 1–2.2 cm across appear in loose terminal cymes from June to September. The plant is a characteristic chasmophyte of calcareous rock crevices, growing in the Alps, the mountains of southern Europe, and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa at elevations of roughly 500–2000 m. Its compact, drought-tolerant habit allows it to colonise cliff faces and shaded limestone walls where few other species can establish.