(twoflower cinquefoil)
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Photo of Potentilla biflora by Jacob Frank
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Two-flowered cinquefoil is a cushion-forming alpine herb (or sub-shrub) in the rose family (Rosaceae) with bright yellow flowers. The plants grow 10-20 cm tall from a branching caudex, which is clothed in shiny brown leaf bases and can be somewhat woody. The leaves are
trifoliate, each leaflet deeply divided into several
linear segments. The leaf margins are inrolled. Leaves have a few, long hairs. Flowering stems have no leaves, and grow one or two terminal
perfect flowers. Below the flowers there are two leaf-like stipules. The flowers have five narrowly triangular
sepals, and five blunt heart-shaped yellow petals, 5-8 mm long, which are longer than the
sepals. The
receptacle is densely white-hairy. Its fruits are hairless
achenes. This species can be distinguished from other local
Potentilla species by its three-parted leaves which are
lobed into
linear segments.
Potentilla biflora is perennial and
deciduous. It flowers mid-summer.
Flowers are bisexual (plants
monoecious). It is likely that this species is fully sexually reproducing, unlike many other
Potentilla species which reproduce via
apomixis (
Aiken et al. 2003). However, the reproductive biology of
P. biflora has not been studied.
Two-flowered cinquefoil is an amphi-Beringian species, native to northwest North America, Chukotka and central Asia. In North America, this species occurs in north and central Alaska, northern Yukon, and the Mackenzie Mountains in Northwest Territory (Cody 2000). In Denali, occurs in the alpine zone on the north slopes of the Alaska Range.
Details are shown in the Plots & Charts found at right, depicting recent Denali data.
Two-flowered cinquefoil grows in the alpine, on gentle to steep slopes. It is not especially common in Denali.
Details are shown in the Plots & Charts found at right. For more on how to interpret these figures, visit Understanding Data Presented.
This species is found on rocky slopes and tundra, typically drier sites.
Moist to dry sites.
