This description provides characteristics that may be relevant to fire ecology and is not meant for identification. Keys for identification are available (e.g., [12,17,18,21,23,44,75]).
Woolly cinquefoil is a perennial forb from 4 to 20 inches (10-50 cm) tall [1,12,21,35,44,75]. It has a stout, branched caudex [12,21,64,75] over a thick taproot [12]. Its basal leaves range from 1 to 7.5 inches long (2.5-19 cm) or more [75]. They are odd-pinnately divided, typically with 7 to 13 toothed leaflets [1,12,21,23,26,35,44,75] from 0.8 to 2.0 inches (2-5 cm) long [1,75]. The perfect flowers [1,12,75] occur in a branching cyme [1,26,64] and range from 5 to 9.5 mm wide [1,75]. Leaf pubescence is variable, ranging from almost hairless [44], to hirsute [1], sericeous [29,44], or tomentose [1,44,75]. In Potentilla hippiana var. hippiana, the upper surface of the leaf may be less hairy than the underside [29,44]. Woolly cinquefoil produces numerous achenes [12,75] from 1.4 to 1.9 mm long [21,75].
Fuels: Fuels on sites with woolly cinquefoil are likely to vary greatly with cover type and site characteristics. On the Front Range, woolly cinquefoil occurred in sparsely vegetated communities [71] and in a stand with dense patches of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and quaking aspen [42]. Estimates of woolly cinquefoil biomass on 2 transects in an Arizona meadow where it had the 3rd highest importance value were 212.31 kg/ha and 268.5 kg/ha. Its estimated biomass on transects in a meadow where it was a minor species were 0 and 122.36 kg/ha [2].
FIRE REGIMES: Communities with woolly cinquefoil have varying FIRE REGIMES. Many habitats with woolly cinquefoil are maintained by frequent, low-severity fire. Great Plains grasslands—such as those occupied by woolly cinquefoil in Montana [17,21], North Dakota [21], South Dakota [21,24], Wyoming [7,18,21], Colorado [21,46,55,60,71], and New Mexico [21], typically have fire-return intervals of less than 20 years. Ponderosa pine woodlands, which may also be occupied by woolly cinquefoil [11,28,38,41]—generally experience low-severity fires every 10 to 20 years. Prescribed burning was suggested in a ponderosa pine/Arizona fescue community with woolly cinquefoil in northern New Mexico to maintain the open, "parklike" structure of the stand [38]. However, several shrublands and forests occupied by woolly cinquefoil have fire-return intervals of 100 years or more. Woolly cinquefoil has been documented in southwestern moist, mixed-conifer-quaking aspen forests [52] with fire-return intervals of over 100 years for fire of any severity. See the Fire Regime Table for further information on FIRE REGIMES of vegetation communities in which woolly cinquefoil may occur. Find further fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".
Fire frequency of many montane meadows has been reduced due to fire exclusion and grazing, which reduce fuel loads [3,66]. Milchunas [47] reviews the interaction of fire, weather, and grazing in ponderosa pine forests and adjacent montane meadows. A discussion of the role of fire in meadow persistence or conversion to shrubland, woodland, or forest is available in the FEIS review of Thurber fescue.
Sites with woolly cinquefoil are often open [32,37,48,53] (see Successional Status) and have coarse-textured soil. Woolly cinquefoil has a wide elevation range. Topographic characteristics of sites with woolly cinquefoil are variable, although it is often reported on south-facing slopes. Due to their exposure and soil characteristics, many sites with woolly cinquefoil are dry. However, woolly cinquefoil may occur in wet meadows and riparian areas.
Soil: Woolly cinquefoil typically occurs in well-drained loam or sand with high content of coarse fragments and variable depth. Limited information suggests that woolly cinquefoil occurs on moderately acidic soils. Soil pH of north-central Colorado sites with woolly cinquefoil ranged from 6.4 in a Parry's oatgrass/sun sedge community to 7.0 in a Wyoming big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass community [76]. Parent materials on sites with woolly cinquefoil are highly variable and may be derived from sedimentary [37,76], metamorphic [76], or igneous rock [74,76]. In Colorado, woolly cinquefoil has been reported on parent materials with glacial [44], alluvial, and colluvial origins [76].Texture: Woolly cinquefoil typically occurs in coarse-textured soils [35] and occasionally occurs in clay [11,42]. It occupies sand and loamy sand in western New Mexico [41] and Colorado [42,73]. Woolly cinquefoil has been documented in sandy loam on sites in northern Alberta [62], Wyoming [7], Colorado [31,42], and New Mexico [11,41]. In north-central Colorado, woolly cinquefoil occurred on sites with sand, "coarse-loam", and loam [73]. Woolly cinquefoil occupied sites with loam in woodlands on the Gunnison National Forest [31]. It was present on sites in New Mexico with sandy clay loam [11]. In a subalpine clearing with woolly cinquefoil on the east slope of the Front Range, soil texture was sandy clay loam at depths from 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) [42]. On a site in northern Alberta, woolly cinquefoil occurred in a dry grassland with loam at the surface, clay loam at shallow depths, and clay from 11 to 25.5 inches (28-65 cm) deep [62]. Woolly cinquefoil occurred in wet meadows of New Mexico that occurred on clay [11].
Descriptions of soil on sites with woolly cinquefoil suggest that coarse-fragment content is often high. From Arizona and New Mexico [38] to Montana [35], sites with woolly cinquefoil have been described as "stony" [35,38], "rocky" [31], "granite-gravel" [35], and "gravelly and cobbly" [73]. Percentage of coarse fragments had only been reported on sites in north-central Colorado as of 2009. A Parry's oatgrass/sun sedge community with 3% coverage of woolly cinquefoil occurred on a site with less than 20% coarse fragment content. A mountain big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass community with trace coverage of woolly cinquefoil occurred on a site with 35% to 55% coarse fragment content [73]. The high coarse fragment content and coarse texture of the soil likely contributes to the "well-drained" [31] and "excessively drained" [38] nature of some sites with woolly cinquefoil. A grassland site on the Front Range with several Potentilla species probably experienced rapid drainage. There was little organic matter on this site [35] (see Soil moisture for more information). Although these rocky sites suggest little organic matter and poor soil nutrient availability, along the Animas River in Colorado woolly cinquefoil occurred in mature riparian vegetation that was associated with fine organic sediments and higher nitrate levels than those found in younger communities, where woolly cinquefoil did not occur [5].
Depth: Woolly cinquefoil has been reported on sites with shallow to deep soil. In Colorado it has been reported on "shallow" soil [31], moderately shallow soils up to 16 inches (40 cm) deep [73], "moderately deep" soils [31], and soils more than 24 inches (60 cm) deep [73]. Woolly cinquefoil was present in ponderosa pine/kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) communities in Arizona and New Mexico that occurred on "shallow soils" [38]. Based on the maximum depth of soil samples, woolly cinquefoil occurred in dry grasslands of northern Alberta that had soil depths of at least 41.5 inches (105 cm) in some areas [62].
Elevation: Woolly cinquefoil occurs from about 4,300 feet (1,220 m) to as high as 12,000 feet (3,660 m) [54,60]. Individuals were collected at 4,300 feet (1,300 m) in Teton and 4,500 feet (1,370 m) in Teton and Powell counties in Montana [70]. Woolly cinquefoil has been reported as high as 12,000 feet in the Gunnison region of Colorado [54]. The following table includes elevations occupied by woolly cinquefoil in several states. Woolly cinquefoil is likely to occur outside of these elevational ranges, especially in areas where little information is available such as Wyoming and Montana.
Reported elevations of sites with woolly cinquefoil State Elevation range (feet) Arizona 7,000-11,500 [29] Colorado 5,300 [55] -12,000 [54] Montana 4,300-7,500 [70] Nevada 8,000-9,000 [27,28] New Mexico 7,000 [44] -11,500 [16] Utah 7,380-11,320 [75] Wyoming 7,100-7,940 [7]Topography: Woolly cinquefoil occurs in valleys [16,38,42] and on gently sloping uplands [7,73], hillsides [16,38,42,73], and ridgetops [38,42,51].
Woolly cinquefoil has been observed in flat areas, moderate slopes, and steep slopes. It occupied a sedge meadow in north-central New Mexico with a 1.8% slope [11] and woodlands of the Gunnison National Forest with slopes less than 9%. Woolly cinquefoil has been recorded on moderate slopes from 10% to 25% in woodlands of this area [31] and in montane forests with ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir on the east slope of the Front Range [42]. It has been recorded in a Wyoming big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass community that occurred on 35% to 55% slopes in north-central Colorado [73], a Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine/Arizona fescue community on 51% slopes, and a limber pine/matted saxifrage (Saxifraga bronchialis subsp. austromontana) community on 53% slopes on the Gunnison National Forest [31].
Communities with woolly cinquefoil occur on all aspects but may be most common on south-facing slopes. Woolly cinquefoil has been reported on southern aspects in grasslands of New Mexico [16] and northern Alberta [62], Wyoming big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass shrublands of north-central Colorado [73], and montane and subalpine forest communities [31] such as blue spruce/Arizona fescue in northern New Mexico and Arizona [38] and Douglas-fir-limber pine-Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine in New Mexico [51]. Woolly cinquefoil has been reported on an east-facing slope in a quaking aspen stand in Colorado [31], on western aspects in blue spruce/Arizona fescue communities in northern New Mexico and Arizona [38], and on northern aspects in montane ponderosa pine- and Douglas-fir-dominated forests in the Front Range [42].
Moisture: On a moisture gradient, woolly cinquefoil occurs in communities ranging from those generally considered dry [34]—ponderosa pine/Idaho fescue, blue spruce/Arizona fescue [31], and dry grasslands [62]—to wet communities such as wet meadows [2,11,16,20,53] and sedge meadows [11]. In northwestern Montana, woolly cinquefoil was categorized as occurring in a "mesoxeric" moisture regime, intermediate between mesic and xeric [34].
Precipitation: Annual precipitation in areas with woolly cinquefoil ranges from 14 inches (350 mm) [41] to over 30 inches (760 mm) [40,52]. In Arizona and New Mexico, much of this falls from July to September [41,52], and the dry season occurs during spring [38,52]. Along the Front Range, the highest average monthly rainfall from 1952 to 1964 was in May [32], and fall and winter are the driest seasons [32,42]. The following table gives annual precipitation for several communities grouped by location.
Annual precipitation for sites with woolly cinquefoil Location Habitat Annual precipitation (inches) Front Range, Colorado opening in a subalpine lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stand 25.7 upper montane dry grass complex 17 montane forests of ponderosa pine or ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir 20 [42] Douglas-fir-ponderosa pine woodland ≈21.5 [32] Southwestern Colorado ponderosa pine forest 20-24 [58] Northern Arizona Engelmann spruce-Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine krummholz and adjacent meadows 39 (3-year mean at weather station nearest to the study site) [40] Eastern Arizona mixed-conifer forest 30 [52] Northern Arizona and New Mexico white fir/Arizona fescue 26-28 ponderosa pine/Arizona fescue 20-25 [38] Western New Mexico ponderosa pine, narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia), and Arizona alder (Alnus oblongifolia) riparian community 14 [41]Soil moisture: Soil moisture on many sites with woolly cinquefoil is often low, although there are exceptions. Low montane habitats of the Front Range generally have low soil moisture, and soil moisture content is close to wilting point in winter and fall [42]. In Douglas-fir-ponderosa pine woodland on the Front Range, soil moisture content was just under 10% from July to September [32]. Average percent soil moisture content from June to August on sites in north-central New Mexico with woolly cinquefoil generally ranged from 9.6% in a quaking aspen-meadow mosaic to 21.9% in a wet meadow. Woolly cinquefoil also occurred in a sedge meadow with 65.6% soil moisture content [11]. High evaporation rates have been reported on sites with woolly cinquefoil in Arizona [38,40] and New Mexico [38,51]. High winds [40,42], high insolation [51,62], and/or soil factors [51] (see Soil) may explain the dry conditions on many sites with woolly cinquefoil.
Temperature: Sites with woolly cinquefoil experience a wide range of temperatures throughout the year. On the Front Range, the coldest reported temperatures on sites with woolly cinquefoil were -10 °F (-23 °C) in January in a Douglas-fir-ponderosa pine woodland [32] and -20 °F (-29 °C) in an upper-montane dry grassland subject to cold air drainage [42]. The mean annual winter temperature in watersheds with woolly cinquefoil in western New Mexico was 30 °F (-1 °C) [41]. The hottest temperature reported on a site with woolly cinquefoil was 96 °F (36 °C) in a low montane ponderosa pine woodland on the Front Range [42]. Mean summer temperatures in study areas with woolly cinquefoil include 47.9 °F (9 °C) near timberline in the San Francisco Mountains of northern Arizona [40] and 64 °F (18 °C) in 2 watersheds in western New Mexico [41]. In north-central New Mexico, June to August weekly minimum temperatures ranged from 31.6 °F (-0.2 °C) in sedge meadows to 41 °F (4.9 °C) in blue spruce-dominated forest [11]. On the Front Range, annual mean temperatures of communities with woolly cinquefoil ranged from 34 °F (1 °C) in a clearing in a lodgepole pine forest to 47 °F (8 °C) in a lower-montane ponderosa pine woodland [42].
On the Front Range, the longest frost-free period in communities with woolly cinquefoil ranged from 75 days in an upper-montane dry grass complex to 137 days in a lower-montane ponderosa pine forest [42]. Lengths of the frost-free period on other sites with woolly cinquefoil are within this range. Woolly cinquefoil was common in a ponderosa pine forest in southwestern Colorado with a frost-free period of about 90 to 110 days [58]. Near timberline in the San Francisco Mountains of northern Arizona, frost-free period from 1917 to 1919 ranged from 101 and 113 days [40].
For effects of temperature on phenology [19], see Seasonal Development. Effects of temperature on plant size and abundance [15] are discussed in Growth, and effects on herbivore and pathogen damage are found in Palatability and/or nutritional value.
Woolly cinquefoil generally has low forage and cover value for wildlife species. Ungulates, small mammals, birds, and insects eat it to some extent. Although woolly cinquefoil provides little cover, it occurs in habitats that are important for wildlife.
Palatability and/or nutritional value: Woolly cinquefoil generally has low palatability and forage value. The flowers are apparently the most palatable part of the plant. The tannin content of the leaves likely contributes to their low palatability. According to a 1937 US Department of Agriculture publication, woolly cinquefoil provides no or poor forage for cattle and poor to fair forage for domestic sheep. Horses occasionally eat the flowers. Elk use woolly cinquefoil lightly in spring [68], summer, and fall [67,68]. Woolly cinquefoil's forage value for deer may be little to none [67], or deer may "frequently eat considerable quantities" [68]. According to a review, cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.) occur in the bighorn sheep diet to some extent and comprise from 0.5% to 5% of the diet of some birds and small mammals such as ruffed grouse, rosy finch, cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.), and Richardson's ground squirrel. Cinquefoils comprised from 5% to 10% of the diet of the least chipmunk in the western prairie and "mountain-desert" regions [43].
Caterpillars and a grasshopper were observed feeding on woolly cinquefoil in an artificial heat experiment in Colorado. Woolly cinquefoil was also damaged by 3 different pathogens. Caterpillar rasping damage was significantly (P=0.05) less in heated plots than in control plots. Warming explained >10% and melting date explained <1% of the variance in number of herbivores and pathogens on woolly cinquefoil [59].
Cover value: Although woolly cinquefoil does not provide cover for wildlife species, it occurs in meadows and forests important to wildlife. It was a common forb in meadows used by greater sage-grouse in North Park, Colorado [20]. Woolly cinquefoil occurs at low frequency and density in wet meadows and moist openings that provide high forage value and habitat heterogeneity in the Southwest [53]. It occurred in white fir/Arizona fescue stands that provide good habitat for wildlife when stands form a mosaic of different successional stages [38].
Woolly cinquefoil occurs in foothill plain, montane and subalpine meadow, sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), forest, and alpine communities. Outside its native range, it has been found in "pastures" in Ontario, in "fields" Nova Scotia [63], and on a mine site in Michigan [72].
Woolly cinquefoil occurs in several grassland communities including Great Plains prairies [7,17,18,21,24,46,55,60,71] and subalpine meadows [11,16,40,50]. It has been reported it Great Plains grasslands of Montana [17,21], North Dakota [21], South Dakota [21,24], Wyoming [7,18,21], Colorado [21,46,55,60,71], and New Mexico [21]. Woolly cinquefoil commonly occurs in montane [2,16,55,73] and subalpine meadows [11,16,40,50] of Colorado [50,55,73], Utah [75], Arizona [2,29,40], and New Mexico [11,16,44]. It occupies both dry grasslands [16,61] and wet meadows [2,11,16,20,53]. Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) [7,16,24,73], blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) [7,14,24,71], fescues (Festuca spp.)—especially Arizona fescue (F. arizonica) [2,9,14,16,53], Muhlenbergia species—especially mountain muhly (M. montana) [7,14,16,73], oatgrasses (Danthonia spp.) [11,16,73], and/or bluegrasses (Poa spp.) [11,16,20,45,53,73] often dominate or codominate grasslands with woolly cinquefoil.
Woolly cinquefoil may occupy a few shrubland cover types. It occurs in sagebrush communities in the Intermountain region [12], west-central Idaho [1], and Colorado. Woolly cinquefoil was a consistent component of the Wyoming big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass
(Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis/Pseudoroegneria spicata subsp. spicata) community on the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest in north-central Colorado [73]. Sagebrush meadow was included in a list of intermountain habitat
types with woolly cinquefoil [12]. Woolly cinquefoil also occurs in juniper (Juniperus spp.) scablands in west-central Idaho [1]. It occurred on sites in 5 age classes of riparian habitat in Colorado. Ragweed sagebrush (A. franseriodes), common
juniper (J. communis), and Fendler's meadow-rue (Thalictrum fendleri) were the only species that occurred in 2 or
more of these 5 age classes at coverages of 5.0% or greater. Species that occurred in all 5 age classes, with coverage of at least 4%
in 1 of the age classes, include common juniper, Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii), Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus), and small-leaf pussytoes (Antennaria parvifolia) [5].
Woolly cinquefoil occurs from lower montane to subalpine woodlands and forests. These communities may be dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), spruce (Picea spp.), fir (Abies spp.), and/or Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata). Woolly cinquefoil was included in a list of species occurring in pinyon (Pinus spp.)-juniper woodlands on the Gila National Forest in western New Mexico [25]. It is widespread in open ponderosa pine forests from west-central Idaho [1] southeast through Colorado [31,42,58] and south to New Mexico [11,38,41] and southern Nevada [6,28]. In upper montane forests of Colorado, woolly cinquefoil occurs in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir communities [32,42]. On the east slope of the Front Range in Colorado, it was documented in an upper montane forest comprised primarily of quaking aspen, Douglas-fir, and ponderosa pine [42]. Woolly cinquefoil was present in mixed-conifer communities with ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, white fir (A. concolor), and blue spruce (Picea pungens) in southwestern Colorado [58]. It occurred in a mixed-conifer forest in Arizona comprised of those species, Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (A. lasiocarpa), southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis), and quaking aspen [52]. It has been reported in quaking aspen stands in Colorado [31] and quaking aspen-meadow mosaics in Arizona [9] and New Mexico [11]. Woolly cinquefoil occurred in a Douglas-fir-limber pine-Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine woodland in New Mexico [51] and Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine/fescue communities in Colorado [31].
Woolly cinquefoil has been reported in alpine communities in the Intermountain region [12], Utah [64,75], Wyoming [64], and Colorado [54]. In Colorado it occurred in an alpine community with American bistort (Polygonum bistortoides), alpine clover (Trifolium dasyphyllum), Parry's lousewort (Pedicularis parryi), and sticky polemonium (Polemonium viscosum)
[54].
As noted in a guide to growing and propagating wild flowers, cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.) "walk that delicate—some
would say imaginary—line between wildflower and weed" [13]. The weediness of woolly cinquefoil, potential need for control, or methods of control had not been addressed in the literature as of 2009.
Grazing:
Livestock grazing history on sites with woolly cinquefoil is variable and includes sites unlikely to have been grazed, historically grazed, and recently grazed. Woolly cinquefoil occurs in riparian communities in southwestern Colorado that have "probably not" been grazed by livestock [5]. Bison were the main grazers in an area of northern Alberta where woolly cinquefoil occurred in dry grasslands [62]. Sites in Arizona with abundant woolly cinquefoil had no recent [9,45] or minimal [2] livestock grazing. Woolly cinquefoil occurred on sites in the San Francisco Peaks area that had not been been grazed in over 25 years and had not been cultivated in over 60 years [9,45]. A meadow with 11 to 12% cover of woolly cinquefoil in Arizona was either unused or grazed infrequently at light intensity [2]. Woolly cinquefoil occurred in a grassland on the east slope of the Front Range that had "recently" been cleared of brush and grazed during summer [42].
As of 2009, only limited information on woolly cinquefoil pollinators, seed production, seedling establishment, and vegetative regeneration was available. In an alpine community of Colorado, most woolly cinquefoil flowers were pollinated by flies, often syrphids, and less than 10% were pollinated by bees [54].
Woolly cinquefoil has potential for high seed production. Floras have noted that woolly cinquefoil produces several [75] to numerous achenes [12,75]. A review of rangeland species states that cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.) generally have numerous flowers that produce "innumerable" seeds that apparently have "good viability" [68].
Vegetative spread of woolly cinquefoil was reported in an early-seral grassland on compacted granite-gravel soil in the Front Range [71]. The mechanism of vegetative reproduction was not discussed.
As of 2009, no information was available on woolly cinquefoil germination rates, seed dispersal or seed banking. Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences,Growth: Woolly cinquefoil may grow faster on certain disturbed sites and in warm areas or years. Woolly cinquefoil leaf number (P=0.004) and leaf length (P=0.04) were significantly greater on soil mounds created by Botta's pocket gophers than on undisturbed sites [45]. In the Gunnison area of Colorado, woolly cinquefoil biomass was significantly (P<0.10) greater on an artificially warmed plot than on a control plot in 1997. Woolly cinquefoil was marginally more abundant (P=0.13) and larger (P=0.18) on the warmed plot in 1997 [15].
Woolly cinquefoil is most often reported in open, mature, and climax communities but may occur in early-seral vegetation and communities that generally have closed canopies.
Communities with woolly cinquefoil are often described as open [35], although woolly cinquefoil can occur in rather dense forests [31,42]. Grasslands [46,62,71] and woodlands [31,42,51] with woolly cinquefoil in northern Alberta [62], west-central Montana [35], on the east slope of the Front Range [42,46,71], southwestern Colorado [31], and New Mexico [51] are considered open. In northern Arizona and New Mexico, woolly cinquefoil occurred in a blue spruce/Arizona fescue habitat type that was often adjacent to meadows [38]. On the east slope of the Front Range, woolly cinquefoil occurred in a stand with very dense patches as well as comparatively open areas of quaking aspen, Douglas-fir, and ponderosa pine [42]. On the Gunnison National Forest, woolly cinquefoil occurred at 0.2% coverage in a stand with 35% and 40% canopy coverage of Engelmann spruce and quaking aspen, respectively [31].
Woolly cinquefoil habitat, while open, commonly lacks evidence of recent disturbance. In a mosaic of riparian vegetation of different ages in southwestern Colorado, it occurred in communities that were over 61 years old [5]. In northern Arizona, woolly cinquefoil was numerous on a site with interspersed quaking aspen and meadow communities that had not been grazed in about 25 years and had not been cultivated in over 60 years [9,45]. Some of the grasslands where woolly cinquefoil often occurs may be climax communities [3,16,48,61]. Based on the soils present, grasslands with woolly cinquefoil in northern Alberta were concluded to have persisted for "a long period of time". Species in this area that are more common outside of the boreal zone, including woolly cinquefoil, were generally late-successional herbs [61]. Woolly cinquefoil occurred in a soil-climax, dry-grass community on the east slope of the Front Range [42]. Woolly cinquefoil occurred in a Douglas-fir-limber pine-Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine community in New Mexico that may have originated from conifer encroachment into montane grasslands [51]. Subalpine and montane meadows remain stable or succeed to shrubland or woodland due to a complex interaction of aridity, grazing, and fire [3,4,8,33,47,48,49,76]. A discussion of the role of these factors in meadow persistence or conversion is available in the FEIS review of Thurber fescue.
Woolly cinquefoil is occasionally documented on recently-disturbed sites and in early-seral vegetation. In northern Arizona, woolly cinquefoil had significantly (P<0.05) greater occurrence than expected on sites disturbed by Botta's pocket gophers [45]. It occurred in a dry grassland on the east slope of the Front Range that had "recently" been cleared of brush and grazed [42] (see Grazing). According to a 1917 classification of foothills vegetation of the Front Range, woolly cinquefoil was a component of a "primitive grassland community" on the Front Range, including a subtype on compacted granite-gravel. Cover on a few granite-gravel sites was comprised entirely of woolly cinquefoil [71].The scientific name of woolly cinquefoil is Potentilla hippiana Lehm. (Rosacea) [12,17,18,21,23,44,75].
Two varieties of woolly cinquefoil are recognized, P. hippiana var. argyrea (Rydb.) Boivin and
P. hippiana var. hippiana [27]. The scientific name is used in this review when information applies to a specific variety.
Woolly cinquefoil hybridizes with the following Potentilla species: beautiful cinquefoil (P. pulcherrima) [12,74,75], graceful cinquefoil (P. gracilis var. brunnescens) [75], varileaf cinquefoil (P. diversifolia), elegant cinquefoil (P. concinna), and possibly bearded cinquefoil (P. crinita) [12].
Potentilla hippiana is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names woolly cinquefoil, horse cinquefoil, and Hipp's cinquefoil. It is native to North America, where it occurs in western Canada and the western United States. It occurs in eastern Canada and the US state of Michigan as an introduced species.[1]
This perennial herb grows up to half a meter tall from a thick caudex and taproot. The leaves are up to 19 centimeters long or more and each is made up of several toothed leaflets. The leaves may be hairless to hairy to woolly. The fruit is a tiny achene. This species hybridizes with several other cinquefoil species, such as beautiful cinquefoil (P. pulcherrima) and elegant cinquefoil (P. concinna).[1]
This plant grows in a variety of habitat types, including grassland, forest, meadow, and sagebrush communities. It may occur in dry or wet habitat, several soil types, flat territory and slopes, and a range of temperatures. It can be found at elevation in subalpine and alpine climates. Plant species occurring with this cinquefoil in multiple habitat types include prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), elk sedge (Carex geyeri), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus), common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and beautiful fleabane (Erigeron formosissimus).[1]
This species was named by the botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann for his friend, Charles Friedrich Hipp.[2]
Potentilla hippiana is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names woolly cinquefoil, horse cinquefoil, and Hipp's cinquefoil. It is native to North America, where it occurs in western Canada and the western United States. It occurs in eastern Canada and the US state of Michigan as an introduced species.
This perennial herb grows up to half a meter tall from a thick caudex and taproot. The leaves are up to 19 centimeters long or more and each is made up of several toothed leaflets. The leaves may be hairless to hairy to woolly. The fruit is a tiny achene. This species hybridizes with several other cinquefoil species, such as beautiful cinquefoil (P. pulcherrima) and elegant cinquefoil (P. concinna).
This plant grows in a variety of habitat types, including grassland, forest, meadow, and sagebrush communities. It may occur in dry or wet habitat, several soil types, flat territory and slopes, and a range of temperatures. It can be found at elevation in subalpine and alpine climates. Plant species occurring with this cinquefoil in multiple habitat types include prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), elk sedge (Carex geyeri), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus), common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), and beautiful fleabane (Erigeron formosissimus).
This species was named by the botanist Johann Georg Christian Lehmann for his friend, Charles Friedrich Hipp.
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Potentilla hippiana adalah spesies tumbuhan yang tergolong ke dalam famili Rosaceae. Spesies ini juga merupakan bagian dari ordo Rosales. Spesies Potentilla hippiana sendiri merupakan bagian dari genus Potentilla. [1] Nama ilmiah dari spesies ini pertama kali diterbitkan oleh Lehm..
Potentilla hippiana adalah spesies tumbuhan yang tergolong ke dalam famili Rosaceae. Spesies ini juga merupakan bagian dari ordo Rosales. Spesies Potentilla hippiana sendiri merupakan bagian dari genus Potentilla. Nama ilmiah dari spesies ini pertama kali diterbitkan oleh Lehm..
