Potentilla pulcherrima
Beautiful cinquefoil
Family: Rosaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Beautiful cinquefoil is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native perennial found in northern White and Inyo Mountains in dry meadow and stream edges at elevations of 3,000 to 3,100 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow flowers in small clusters with petals 5 to 6 millimeters long. Growing with ascending stems 20 to 45 centimeters tall that are spreading-hairy, it emerges from a short, thick rhizome. Its palmate basal leaves have 7 leaflets, with the central leaflet 20 to 50 millimeters long, oblanceolate in shape and evenly toothed along the edges, white-woolly underneath and green with sparse hairs on top. The fruit is small, approximately 1.5 millimeters long and light brown with fine veining.
Habitat: dry edges of meadows, streams
Bloom period: Jul-Aug
Elevation: 3000-3100 m
Bioregions: n W&I
California counties: Mono
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.