Sulfur Cinquefoil has reasonably attractive flowers and foliage. The latter has some resemblance to the foliage of Cannabis sativa (Marijuana). However, Marijuana is usually a taller plant with very different flowers. Its leaflets are narrowly ovate and longer than the leaflets of Sulfur Cinquefoil. There are many kinds of Cinquefoils, both native and introduced, that are often hard to tell apart. Sulfur Cinquefoil can be distinguished by its erect habit, palmate leaves with 5 or 7 leaflets, pale yellow petals that are longer than the sepals, and terminal clusters of flowers. Other species of Cinquefoils have stems that are sprawling or stoloniferous, palmate leaves with only 3 leaflets, bright yellow petals that are no longer or shorter than the sepals, or flowers that develop individually from the leaf axils.

This adventive perennial plant is 1½–2½' tall, branching frequently in the upper third of the plant. It is erect, rather than sprawling or stoloniferous. The stems are round and covered with long white hairs. The alternate leaves are palmately compound. The lower leaves have long hairy petioles and 5-7 leaflets, while the upper leaves are nearly sessile, smaller in size, and often have 3 leaflets. Each leaflet is up to 3½" long and ¾" across; the middle leaflets are larger in size than the side leaflets. Each leaflet is oblanceolate and coarsely toothed. The upper stems terminate in small clusters of flowers that are held at approximately the same distance from the ground; as a consequence, the upper part of the plant is spreading, but rather flattened on top. Each flower is about ¾" across, consisting of 5 pale yellow petals, 5 hairy green sepals, 30 stamens with brown-yellow anthers, and a bright yellow receptacle in the middle with numerous pistils. The spreading petals are obcordate, while the triangular sepals are a little shorter than the petals. The blooming period usually occurs from early to mid-summer and lasts about a month. Each flower produces numerous dark brown seeds, which are somewhat flattened and finely ridged. The root system of mature plants consists of a shallow caudex with coarse secondary roots; sometimes multiple stems develop from this caudex. Young plants have a branching taproot. Reproduction is by seeds.

Potentilla recta L.:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)
China (Asia)

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Sulfur Cinquefoil is a common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). It is adventive from Eurasia. Habitats include limestone glades, pastures and abandoned fields, vacant lots, gravelly areas along railroads, compacted soil along grassy paths or dirt roads, and weedy meadows. This plant prefers disturbed areas with limey soil.

Herbs perennial. Roots terete. Flowering stems erect, 30–40 cm tall, together with petioles white villous, rarely glabrescent. Radical leaves usually withered at anthesis; stipules tinged brown, membranous, margin white villous; leaf blade palmately 5-foliolate; cauline leaves: stipules green, herbaceous, abaxially appressed villous, margin entire, apex acuminate; petiole gradually shorter higher up stem, almost absent on uppermost leaves; leaf blade 5–7-foliolate; leaflets obovate-lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, abaxially white villous, more densely so on veins, adaxially appressed white villous or glabrescent, base cuneate, margin acutely or obtusely incised serrate, apex obtuse. Inflorescence terminal, compact, corymbose-cymose. Flowers ca. 1.5 cm in diam.; pedicel 0.5–1 cm, white villous and white pubescent. Sepals ovate-oblong, apex acuminate; epicalyx segments lanceolate, nearly equaling sepals, abaxially white villous, apex acuminate. Petals yellow, obovate-elliptic, nearly equaling sepals, apex emarginate or subrounded. Style slightly thickened at base; stigma not dilated. Achenes rugose. Fl. and fr. Jul–Aug.

River valleys, dry mountain slopes; 1000--1200 m. Xinjiang [C and SW Asia, Europe].

Sulfur Cinquefoil is a common plant that occurs in most counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). It is adventive from Eurasia. Habitats include limestone glades, pastures and abandoned fields, vacant lots, gravelly areas along railroads, compacted soil along grassy paths or dirt roads, and weedy meadows. This plant prefers disturbed areas with limey soil.

Potentilla recta (Sulfur Cinquefoil) introduced
(Insect activity for bees, flies, and beetles is largely unspecified, while the butterflies suck nectar; some observations are from Grundel & Pavlovic, Krombein et al., Lewis, Mawdsley, and MacRae as indicated below, otherwise they are from Reed)

Bees (long-tongued)
Anthophoridae (Ceratinini): Ceratina sp. (Re)

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Halictus confusus (Re), Halictus ligatus (Re), Halictus parallelus (Re), Lasioglossum sp. (Re), Lasioglossum albipennis (Re), Lasioglossum laevissimus (Re), Lasioglossum paradmirandus (Re), Lasioglossum pruinosus (Re), Lasioglossum rohweri (Re); Colletidae (Hylaeinae): Hylaeus affinis (Re), Hylaeus mesillae (Re); Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena commoda (Re), Andrena cressonii (Re), Andrena miranda (Kr); Andrenidae (Panurginae): Calliopsis andreniformis sn (Kr)

Flies
Syrphidae: Allograpta obliqua (Re), Toxomerus marginatus (Re)

Butterflies
Lycaenidae: Lycaeides melissa samuelis sn (GP); Pieridae: Pieris rapae sn (Lw)

Beetles
Buprestidae: Acmaeodera ornata (McR); Cleridae: Trichodes nutalli (Mwd)

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
sporangium of Peronospora fragariae parasitises live Potentilla recta

Foodplant / parasite
sporangium of Peronospora potentillae-reptantis parasitises live Potentilla recta

The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract small bees and flies. Rabbits occasionally eat the lower leaves of this plant, but it is not a preferred food source. Livestock also eat this and other Potentilla spp. (Cinquefoils). There is some evidence that the seeds of Cinquefoils can pass through the digestive tract of livestock and remain viable. Thus, these animals may facilitate their distribution into new areas.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Species: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and a somewhat heavy soil containing clay or gravel. This plant is quite tolerant of alkaline soil.