Rough Fruited Cinquefoil

Scientific Name: Potentilla recta
Family Name: Roseaceae




Flower: ¾ in. (2 cm.) wide, five-petaled yellow flower with five smaller sepals. The petals are distinctly separated and shallowly lobed.

Leaf: 5 – 7 leaflets, each 1 – 3 in. (2.5 – 7.5 cm.) long and bluntly toothed.

Plant: 1 – 2 ft. (30 – 60 cm.), hairy plant

Identifying Characteristics: The palmately compound lightly toothed leaves help to identify this plant. The flowers are very similar to other Cinquefoil species flowers and provide no help in identifying this plant.

Location: We found Rough Fruited Cinquefoil in the waste area behind the Mount Peake Cemetery near Brandeis University.

History and Comments: Rough Fruited Cinquefoil is native to Europe, and is considered a weed in the United States, especially because cattle refuse to eat it when they encounter it. Rough Fruited Cinquefoil prefers dry fields and waste places.
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