Rosaceae: Rose Family — Cinquefoil, Horkelia & Potentilla
Plants in the Rose family include many of our best-loved ornamentals and fruits. The flowers usually have 5 petals, 5 sepals and numerous stamens, attached to a saucer- or bowl-shaped hypanthium. Often the oval leaves are toothed, and there is a stipule at the petiole base.
Sticky Cinquefoil – Drymocallis glandulosa var. wrangelliana
Blooms:
Mar–June
Plant Height:
20–70 cm
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Habitat:
Moist, more or less shaded places near coast, many communities
Notes:
This is a common, leafy, spreading plant. The 5-petaled flowers are generally white, but may be yellow. They have many (> 20) yellow stamens, with a narrow filament and round anthers. This might be mistaken for Leafy Horkelia (Horkelia californica, see below), but the number and appearance of the stamens are quite different, plus the flower itself is more open, with more rounded petals. Leaves generally have 3 pairs of leaflets, each double-toothed, 9–17 per side. Photos #1 and 3 by CJH.
Leafy Horkelia – Horkelia californica var. frondosa
Blooms:
May–Sept
Plant Height:
10–120 cm
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Habitat:
Coastal scrub and canyons below 300 m
Notes:
Like Sticky Cinquefoil (Drymocallis glandulosa, see above), this is a common, leafy, spreading plant with white 5-petaled flowers. At first sight the two flowers might be confused, but the Horkelia has precisely 10 stamens, which are white and flattened. Note that the inside of the sepals is not red-mottled, unlike those of var. californica. Its leaves are, like Sticky Cinquefoil, double-toothed but with 3–5 leaflets per side.
Wedge-leaved Horkelia – Horkelia cuneata var. cuneata
Blooms:
Mar–June
Plant Height:
20–70 cm
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Habitat:
Grassland and woods near coast
Notes:
These flowers are similar to other horkelias, except that the petals are usually narrower, so more of the sepals are visible between the petals. Also, the petals equal or exceed the sepals in length. Unlike other horkelias, bractlets are shorter than the sepals. Leaves are pinnate with 5–12 leaflets per side. They have rounded teeth, and the terminal leaflet has a wedge-shaped base. Photos #1-2 by CJH.
Pacific Silver-weed – Potentilla anserina subsp. pacifica
Blooms:
Apr–Aug
Plant Height:
5–30 cm
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Habitat:
Sand dune margins and damp places along or near coast
Notes:
This common plant is easily recognized by it bright yellow, 5-petaled flowers, and pinnate leaves with 5–10 sharply-toothed leaflets on each side. Flowers have 5 bractlets and 5 larger sepals. The common name describes the silvery color of the underside of the leaflets. Photo #3 by CJH.
Hickman’s Cinquefoil – Potentilla hickmanii
Blooms:
Apr–Aug
Plant Height:
5–65 cm
Flower Size:
Medium
Origin:
Native
Rare or endangered?
Yes – 1b.1
Habitat:
Marshy places
Notes:
This plant can be found in Del Monte Forest and Point Lobos, where some plants have apparently been introduced. It has 5 bright yellow, heart-shaped petals, with orange rays radiating from the base of each petal. The leaves are pinnate, with 3–6 leaflets on each side, the larger leaflets wedge-shaped with 2–5 teeth.
