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Other Names: common cinquefoil, silverweed cinquefoil, silvery cinquefoil, rough cinquefoil, sulphur cinquefoilScientific Name: Potentilla spp.
Plant Family: Rosaceae
Botanical Description: Several species of cinquefoil are problematic herbaceous weeds. Differences in stems, leaves and flowers distinguish between species.Common cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis L.) stems are hairy and grow somewhat prostrate along the ground. Silverweed cinquefoil (Potentilla anserina L.) stems rise in clumps or tufts. Silvery cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea L.) stems reach 2 foot lengths, growing nearly prostrate along the ground. Rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica L.) stems are rough, hairy, semi-erect or spreading, reaching 1 - 3 feet tall. Sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta L.) stems are rough, hairy, stiffly erect, 1 - 3 feet tall.
Common cinquefoil leaves are palmately divided into 5 leaflets similar to strawberry leaves. Silverweed cinquefoil leaves are pinnately compound and fern-like. Silvery cinquefoil leaves are palmately divided into 5 or 7 narrow leaflets, with fine hairs on the undersides, giving it a silvery look. Rough cinquefoil leaves are alternate and palmately divided into 3 rough, hairy, coarsely toothed leaflets. Sulphur cinquefoil leaves are alternate and palmately divided into 5 or 7 hairy, coarsely toothed leaflets that have pale undersides.
Common and silverweed cinquefoil flowers are yellow, one per stem and fairly conspicuous. Silvery cinquefoil flowers are also yellow and 0.5 inch across, but arise from short multiple stalks in leaf axils near branch ends. In contrast, rough cinquefoil flowers are small, inconspicuous, and found in clusters at tips of branches. Sulphur cinquefoil flowers are conspicuous, sulphur yellow, 1 inch across, have lobed petals and are found in terminal clusters.
Stems: as above
Leaves: as above
Roots: stoloniferous except for silvery cinquefoil, which has a shallow taproot
Flowers: yellow, 5-petaled; bloom May-August
Seeds: very small, about 1/32 inch long, yellowish (silvery cinquefoil), light brown (rough cinquefoil), or dark brown (sulphur cinquefoil), somewhat kidney-shaped, may be ridged
Seedling: Seed leaves are tiny and smooth (with the esception of sulfur cinquefoil, which may have hairy seed leaves). Subsequent leaves are alternate with soft hairs and very long, hairy, grooved leafstalks. Earliest leaves are gently lobed; later leaves are composed of three leaflets with toothed or serrated edges. Stem is not apparent.
Reproduction: Common, silvery and sulphur cinquefoil are perennial, rough cinquefoil is an annual, winter annual, or biennial.Propagation: Common and silverweed cinquefoil spread prolifically by slender runners (stolons) that may reach several feet long by the end of the season. All species reproduce by seed.
Dispersal: Cinquefoil is often introduced as a sand, soil, or cuttings contaminant. Common cinquefoil may not be a natural invader; silverweed cinquefoil definitely is.
State: Common, silvery, rough, and sulphur cinquefoil are found throughout Wisconsin. Silverweed cinquefoil is generally confined to wet, sandy areas.National: At least one cinquefoil species can be found throughout much of the continental U.S. excluding the southwest desert and southern states.
Origin: Common cinquefoil is native of North America. Rough and sulfur cinquefoil are natives of Europe.
Silverweed cinquefoil is basically a wet sand species; silvery cinquefoil is especially common on sandy lawns, pastures, and meadows. Rough and sulphur cinquefoil are found in fields, meadows, pastures, roadsides, and wastelands. Various cinquefoils are often found along cranberry bed edges and in bare, sandy patches. Once introduced, cinquefoil can be very competitive, overtaking existing cranberry vines throughout the summer.
While scouting a cranberry bed for disease and insect pests, identify weed populations as they arise. Note the specie(s) of weed present as well as the population level relative to field area. Example: 40% cinquefoil mix, 20% boneset.
Kummer, L. D., T. G. Dittl, and T. D. Planer. 1993. Wisconsin Cranberry Weeds. Wisconsin Cranberry Board, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. p. 18.Lorenzi, H. J. and L. S. Jeffery. 1987. Weeds of the United States and Their Control. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, New York. pp. 164-166.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1981. Weeds of the North Central States: North Central Regional Research Publication No. 281. College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station. Bulletin 772. pp. 105-106.
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