Potentilla concinna (Early Cinquefoil) - photos and description
General: Low plants with many stems from a woody caudex, stems spreading, leaflets with white edges. Very early flowering.
Flowers: Flowers have yellow petals with orange colouring near their base. Flowers were measured at 1.5 cm in diameter.
Leaves: Leaves are basal, digitately arranged in 5 leaflets, leaf (including petiole) measures 3.5 cm long, 1.5 cm in diameter. Leaves are dark green and strigose above, and tomentose below giving the leaves a white underside, and a white edge.
Height: Not applicable, we've measured plants with a spread of 15 cm wide.
Habitat: Dry prairie and hillsides.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
Similar species: This plant might be confused with Potentilla plattensis, a low-growing Potentilla which also has yellow flowers with orange colouring at the base of petals. However, P. concinna has leaves which are more or less digitate, and are white below. While P. plattenis has leaves that are pinnate, leaflets that are pinnatifid, and leaflets which are green below.
When and where photographed: We took these photos May 7th, and May 16th in grassland in the Cypress Hills, 400 km southwest of Regina, SK and May 14th on prairie 100 km south of our home in Regina, SK.