Ternate-leaf cinquefoil

Potentilla norvegica

Family: Rosaceae Genus: Potentilla Species: norvegica

Synonyms: Potentilla trifoliata, Potentilla hirsuta, Potentilla ruthenica, Potentilla diffusa, Potentilla gusuleacii, Potentilla norvegica f. degenerata, Potentilla norvegica var. degenerata, Potentilla norvegica var. diffusa, Potentilla norvegica var. conferta, Fragaria parviflora, Potentilla labradorica, Tridophyllum monspeliense, Tridophyllum norvegicum, Pentaphyllum norvegicum, Potentilla flexuosa, Potentilla norvegica f. labradorica, Potentilla norvegica var. hirsuta, Potentilla norvegica f. parvula, Potentilla norvegica f. pinguis, Potentilla ruthenica var. diffusa, Potentilla norvegica var. labradorica, Potentilla grossa, Potentilla fragariifolia, Potentilla geminiflora, Potentilla gusuleacii f. prostrata, Potentilla norvegica var. monspeliensis, Potentilla monspeliensis, Potentilla monspeliensis var. norvegica, Fragaria norvegica, Potentilla monspeliensis var. labradorica, Potentilla rivalis, Potentilla dichotoma, Potentilla morisonii, Potentilla norvegica subsp. monspeliensis, Potentilla norvegica subsp. hirsuta, Potentilla norvegica var. genuina, Fragaria monspeliensis, Potentilla norvegica subsp. genuina, Potentilla gusuleacii f. ternata, Potentilla gusuleacii f. quinata

Ternate-leaf cinquefoil (en)

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:

astringent

Gallery

Botanical Description

Potentilla norvegica, the Norwegian cinquefoil or rough cinquefoil, is an erect annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial herb of the Rosaceae family native to circumboreal regions across Europe, Asia, and North America. The plant grows 20 to 60 cm tall, with a sturdy, branching, hairy stem that is often reddish toward the base. The alternate leaves are palmately or ternately divided into three coarsely toothed obovate leaflets, the lower long-stalked and the upper sessile. From early summer into autumn, small pale yellow five-petalled flowers about a centimetre across appear in leafy cymes at the stem tips, the petals shorter than the green calyx lobes. The fruit is a head of small dry achenes. It favours disturbed ground, fields, roadsides, and waste places.

Native Region: Alaska, Alberta, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baltic States, British Columbia, California, Central European Rus, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, East European Russia, Georgia, Greenland, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Irkutsk, Italy, Kamchatka, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Labrador, Magadan, Maine, Maryland, Masachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Poland, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Sakhalin, Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Sweden, Tennessee, Texas, Tuva, Ukraine, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Yukon

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

The Chippewa used a decoction of the root as a gargle, or chewed the root, for sore throat (Densmore, 1928). The Ramah Navajo used a cold infusion of the whole plant as an analgesic for pain, and the fumes of the burning plant for sexually transmitted infections (Vestal, 1952). The Ojibwa knew the plant as a strong cathartic or physic, even among children (Smith, 1932), and the Forest Potawatomi used the root for unspecified medicinal purposes (Smith, 1933).

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

263229

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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