Another scientific name of this species is Potentilla tridentata. Three-Toothed Cinquefoil was reclassified into its own genus as a result of genetic analysis, which revealed that it was more closely related to another boreal species, Sibbaldia procumbens (Sibbaldia). The trifoliate leaves of this latter species are similar to those of Three-Toothed Cinquefoil, but the flowers of Sibbaldia are less showy because of the small size of the petals. Three-Toothed Cinquefoil differs from Potentilla spp. by the lateral styles of its flowers; it also differs from many of these species by its woody lower stems and evergreen leaves.