About Potentilla flabellifolia Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray
Potentilla flabellifolia Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray produces one or more erect stems from a branching caudex and a system of rhizomes. Plants grow 10 to 30 centimeters tall, and range from slightly hairy to nearly hairless. The leaves are ternate, meaning they are divided into three leaflets. The largest leaves are the basal leaves, which are borne on long petioles. Each leaf has oval leaflets up to 3 centimeters long that are deeply cut into blunt teeth. Smaller leaves grow higher on the stem. The inflorescence is a cyme that holds one or more flowers. Most flowers have five yellow petals up to 1 centimeter long, borne on a calyx made up of pointed sepals and narrower pointed bractlets. This species is native to western North America, where it occurs from British Columbia to California and east to Wyoming. It grows in higher elevation mountainous habitat, including summertime meadows.
