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 Leaves Deaver Herbarium (Northern Arizona University), Usage Rights: CC BY (Attribution) |  Plant Russ Kleinman @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) | | | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Biennial or annual Similar Species: Potentilla norvegica
General Desc:
Leafy, slender-stemmed plant growing from a spreading base and coated with short, soft hairs. Upper leaves resemble a hand, lower leaves have a feather-like shape. Elongated clusters of many tiny yellow flowers grow at the tops of loose flower stalks.
Identification notes: Short-lived, with slender, spreading stems covered with soft, short hairs, and having large, loose, leafy flower stems with many small regular yellow flowers, the green sepals longer than the yellow petals; fruit is a smooth achene without lumps.
Height:
To about 2 feet
Habitat Description: Grows in moist soils, in meadows, muddy bogs, swamps, pastures, often on open disturbed sites and waste areas as well as along creeks, streambanks and riverbanks.
Plant Communities:
Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 4500 - 7500 feet
Color:
Yellow
Shape:
Regular in round clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Apr - Jul
Description:
Short-stalked flowers have 5 tiny egg-shaped petals each about 1/16 inch long. Alternating between the petals are oval, pointed, leaf-like sepals 1/4 inch long. Alternating between the sepals are 5 narrow leaf-like bractlets a bit smaller than the sepals.
Leaf Color:
Green
Leaf Type:
Compound
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Toothed
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Red-tinged stems are freely branching above. Lower leaves are feather-like with 5 to 7 leaflets and usually wither by the time the plant flowers. Upper leaves resemble a hand, usually with 3 leaflets, are 3/4 to 4-3/4 inches long and often stalkless.
Fruit Color: Light brown
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: The fruit is dry, has a smooth surface (rarely, slightly wrinkled), is less than 1/16 inch and does not split open when ripe.
Seed Notes: Each fruit produces 1 seed.
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