Plant Family
Rose family (Rosaceae)
Note: Shrubby cinquefoil was recently reclassified as Dasiphora fruticosa (L.) and subspeciesDasiphora floribunda (Pursh), Also see Pentaphylloides floribunda
Common Names
Potentilla, Shrubby potentilla, Bush cinquefoil, Widdy, Golden hardhack
Description
- Shrubby cinquefoil is a long lived native shrub distributed throughout the northern and western US, Alaska, and throughout Canada
- It is also native to northern Europe and Asia
- Many cultivars of this popular shrub have been developed for the nursery trade
- A profusion of small yellow flowers bloom from late summer through frost
- Cultivars are available with white, pink, orange, and red flowers
- Colors other than yellow tend to fade in summer heat
- This twiggy shrub has small fine leaves
- Grows from 12 to 48 inches tall and wide
- Requires full sun
- Tolerates poor dry soils with little or no additional fertilizer
- This species is very cold tolerant and survives in USDA Zones 2 through 7
- Grows well at high elevations
Attracts
adult and caterpillars of moths and butterflies
bees
flea beetle
flies
wasps
Additional Resources:
USDA Plants Database
FEIS Database – Species: Dasiphora floribunda
West
Nevada – Shrubby cinquefoil, bush cinquefoil
Midwest
Illinois Wildflowers – Shrubby cinquefoil
Southeast
North Carolina Plant Fact Sheet (Cultivars)