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Villous cinquefoil

Potentilla villosa

Also called Northern Cinquefoil

Villous cinquefoil
Photo: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0

Villous cinquefoil is a low, hairy rhizomatous perennial of cold northern and subalpine regions, grown mainly as a hardy rock garden or native wildflower plant. It needs cool conditions and good drainage, and it is cold-hardy rather than a warm-climate garden plant.

Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately while establishing, then allow the soil to dry between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, gritty or sandy soil, fairly lean.
Temperature
Cool to cold conditions; hardy to well below freezing, and it dislikes sustained heat.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not known to be toxic. Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Kamchatka, Alaska to NW. U.S.A.
Climate
subalpine or subarctic

About

Potentilla villosa is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. Its common names include villous cinquefoil, northern cinquefoil, and hairy cinquefoil. It is native to northwestern North America, where its distribution extends from Alaska to Alberta to Oregon. There are records from eastern Asia.

Where it grows

This is a coastal plant. It occurs on coastal bluffs and beaches, and in meadows, tundra, and alpine talus.

Other Potentilla plants

Potentilla californica · Potentilla clevelandii · Potentilla daucifolia · Potentilla rydbergii · Potentilla micheneri · Potentilla yadonii · Potentilla muirii · Potentilla paniculata · Potentilla pickeringii · Potentilla rhypara · Potentilla santolinoides · Potentilla webberi

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Potentilla villosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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