Potentilla johnstonii is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family

Rosaceae

Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...

 known by the common name sagebrush cinquefoil. It is native to Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, where it has been collected from only one spot in the Quinn Canyon Range

Quinn Canyon Range

The Quinn Canyon Range is a remote group of mountains in northeastern Nye County, in central Nevada in the western United States.It is closely associated with the Grant Range, which meets it at Cherry Creek Summit . From there, the range runs for approximately 33 miles to the southwest...

 of Nye County

Nye County, Nevada

-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...

.

This plant has been known for decades but herbarium

Herbarium

In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...

 specimens have been labeled a variety of Potentilla concinna. They are actually specimens of a separate species and the plant was described to science in 2006. The plant has stems about 15 centimeters long. The leaves are borne on hairy petioles

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

. Each is made up of a few leaflets with toothed tips. The inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

contains up to 11 flowers with yellow petals each about half a centimeter long.