''Potentilla pusilla'', the spring cinquefoil or spotted cinquefoil, is a perennial species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the rose

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

). It may grow up to the height of 5–15 cm (2-6 in). It was first scientifically described by H.G.L. Reichenbach in 1832. P.F.A. Ascherson later called it ''P. tabernaemontani'', a name which is now invalid. The name ''P. verna'' was misapplied to this

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

; as originally described by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, it actually refers to the

alpine cinquefoil ''Potentilla crantzii'', the alpine cinquefoil, is a flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is native to North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. ...

(''P. crantzii''). This is a fairly undistinguished species of cinquefoil. Its typical five-fingered leaves and — in early spring — five-

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

led yellow flowers are borne on low-lying stems. As its common name implies, in most of its range, it is one of the first cinquefoils to bloom. It can grow in dry, marginal

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s, such as roadsides,

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, and talus. Thus it can be used for

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small ...

s, providing bright bunches of yellow when few other plants are blooming.

References

External links

* * pusilla Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach Plants described in 1832 {{Rosoideae-stub