Potentilla morefieldii
Encyclopedia
Potentilla morefieldii is a species of cinquefoil
known by the common name Morefield's cinquefoil. It is endemic to eastern California
, where it is known from just a few occurrences in the White Mountains
. It grows in rocky habitat such as talus
in alpine climate
s. This cinquefoil was considered part of the Potentilla drummondii
complex
until 1992, when it was separated and elevated to species status. This is a small tufted plant with hairy or woolly foliage. The leaves are each made up of several overlapping pairs of lobed leaflets which are green and rough-haired on the upper surfaces and white and woolly-haired underneath. The inflorescence
is a cyme of up to 15 flowers with bright yellow petals.
Potentilla
Potentilla is the genus of typical cinquefoils, containing about 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the rose family Rosaceae. They are generally Holarctic in distribution, though some may even be found in montane biomes of the New Guinea Highlands...
known by the common name Morefield's cinquefoil. It is endemic to eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from just a few occurrences in the White Mountains
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
. It grows in rocky habitat such as talus
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
in alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
s. This cinquefoil was considered part of the Potentilla drummondii
Potentilla drummondii
Potentilla drummondii is a species of cinquefoil known by the common name Drummond's cinquefoil. It is native to North America from Alaska to California, where it grows in many types of moist habitat. It is perhaps better described as a species complex containing many intergrading subspecies that...
complex
Cryptic species complex
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other—but whose morphology is very similar ....
until 1992, when it was separated and elevated to species status. This is a small tufted plant with hairy or woolly foliage. The leaves are each made up of several overlapping pairs of lobed leaflets which are green and rough-haired on the upper surfaces and white and woolly-haired underneath. 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...
is a cyme of up to 15 flowers with bright yellow petals.