Snow cinquefoil

Potentilla nivea

Family: Rosaceae Genus: Potentilla Species: nivea

Synonyms: Potentilla michoacana, Potentilla nivea vulgaris, Potentilla nivea var. polyphylla, Potentilla nivea var. yuparensis, Potentilla nivea var. petiolulata, Potentilla nivea var. floribunda, Potentilla concinna var. dissecta, Potentilla nivea var. concolor, Potentilla nivea var. quinquefolia, Potentilla macrantha, Potentilla nivea var. macrantha, Potentilla nivea var. dissecta, Potentilla nivea var. canotomentosa, Potentilla villosa var. unifoliolosa, Potentilla nivea f. major, Potentilla nivea f. multiflora, Potentilla nivea var. niveiformis, Potentilla nivea var. insularis, Potentilla jezoensis, Potentilla matsuokana, Potentilla dryophylla, Potentilla saximontana var. dissecta, Potentilla quinquefolia, Potentilla nivea var. pallidior, Potentilla nivea var. vulgaris, Potentilla nivea f. unifoliolosa, Potentilla nivea var. genuina, Potentilla nivea var. tomentosa, Potentilla nivea var. major, Potentilla uniflora subsp. arctica, Potentilla flabellifolia subsp. matsumurae, Potentilla fissuralis, Potentilla nivea var. alpina, Fragaria nivea, Potentilla nivea var. incisa, Potentilla nivea subsp. fallax, Potentilla nivea var. camtschatica, Potentilla nivea var. intermedia, Potentilla nivea f. incisa, Potentilla nivea subsp. chionodes, Potentilla jamesoniana, Potentilla nivea var. arctica, Potentilla nivea var. hirsuta, Potentilla nivea f. alpina

Snow cinquefoil (en)

Gallery

Botanical Description

Potentilla nivea, snow cinquefoil, is a low-growing perennial herb of the Rosaceae family with a circumpolar distribution across the Arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America, extending into alpine zones of the Rockies and the Alps. Plants form compact tufts 5 to 20 centimetres tall from a stout, woody caudex. The basal leaves are ternate with broadly obovate to elliptic leaflets, the upper surface green and finely appressed-hairy and the lower surface densely white-tomentose, a feature reflected in the specific epithet meaning snowy. Stems are slender, hairy, and bear one to several flowers in a loose cyme; flowers are bright yellow, about one centimetre across, with five obcordate petals and numerous stamens. The species is notable for its extensive polyploidy, occurring in ploidy levels from diploid to decaploid, and grows on dry calcareous slopes, ridges, and stony tundra.

Native Region: Alaska, Alberta, Altay, Arizona, Austria, British Columbia, Buryatiya, China North-Central, Chita, Colorado, East European Russia, Finland, France, Greenland, Inner Mongolia, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Labrador, Magadan, Manchuria, Manitoba, Mongolia, Montana, New Mexico, Newfoundland, North European Russi, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nunavut, Primorye, Québec, Sakhalin, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuva, Utah, Washington, West Siberia, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yukon

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

None Documented

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

264891

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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