Potentilla basaltica

Black rock potentilla

Family: Rosaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Black rock potentilla is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native perennial found in Ash Valley in alkaline meadows at elevations around 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white or yellow flowers with petals 4 to 6.5 millimeters long in small clusters of 5 to 20 blooms. Growing with prostrate to decumbent stems 10 to 40 centimeters long that are glaucous and glabrous, it forms a low rosette from a thick taproot. Its pinnate basal leaves have 10 to 15 leaflets per side, each 5 to 10 millimeters long, typically entire or with shallow 2 to 3 lobes. The fruit is pale brown, approximately 2 millimeters long, with a smooth or slightly ridged surface.

Habitat: Alkaline meadows

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: +- 1500 m.

Bioregions: MP (Ash Valley)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.