Potentilla peduncularis D. Don

Habit

Herb

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs; sometimes armed, indumentum of simple hairs (sometimes stellate in Rubus). Leaves alternate, simple or pinnately, stipules usually present. Flowers solitary or often in fascicles, racemes, cymes, corymbs or panicles, actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely unisexual. Calyx lobes, petals and stamens inserted at margin of calyx cup or tube (hypanthium). Calyx lobes 4-6, sometimes with as many outer epicalyx segments. Petals 4-6 or more, free. Stamens 4-many. Ovary of 1-many free, superior carpels or 4-6-celled, inferior or semi-inferior and united to calyx-tube; styles simple, free, sometimes united; ovules 1 or more per cell. Fruit an achene (often aggregated), follicle, drupe or pome.

Genus Description

Perennial herbs or shrubs. Leaves 3-foliate, palmate or pinnate, rarely 1-foliate, stipules adnate to petiole. Flowers solitary or few in cymes or corymbs. Calyx tube concave, lobes 5 with 5 epicalyx segments. petals 5 usually yellow, sometimes white or reddish. Stamens numerous. Carpels numerous, free; style subterminal, deciduous. Achenes numerous, borne on a flat or conical dry receptacle.

Species description

Perennial rosetted herb with thick woody rootstock covered with leaf remains. Leaves mostly regularly pinnate (rarely with minute tooth-like lobes between leaflets) oblong or oblanceolate in outline, 5-20cm; lateral leaflets 9-21 pairs, oblong-elliptic 0.5-3 x 0.25-0.75cm, ± obtuse, base rounded or cuneath; margin serrate, sparsely pubescent above, usually white sericeous beneath; stipules ovate-lanceolate 1-3cm, brown. Flowers 2-5 ± corymbose, borne on almost leafless peduncles (6-)10-25cm. Calyx lobes ovate 5-6mm. Petals obovate, 8-13 x 8-10mm, rounded, yellow. Achenes obovoid 1.5-2mm, glabrous.