Potentilla desertorum - Desert Cinquefoil

Desert Cinquefoil is a perennial, generally erect rarely rising up herb. Flowering stems are 20-40 cm long, generally leafy, densely velvet-hairy. Flowers are 1-1.5 cm across, in branch-end compact clusters, flower-stalks small 5-7 mm long, densely hairy. Petals are yellow, obovate notched. Sepal-cup hairy. Sepals are almost equal, densely hairy with red glands, outer 0.5-1.2 cm, oblong-blunt, inner 0.7-1.3 cm., ovate-pointed. Stamens are 20-25. Basal leaves are 5-nate, digitate, upper 3-5 nate, leaf-stalks 5-15 cm long, densely hairy and glandulose. Basal stipules rusty-hairy, ears linear-lanceshaped, stem stipules ovate-lanceshaped, green, entire or divided. Leaflets are 1.5-6.5 x 0.7-3.5 cm., obovate-wedge-shaped, truncate, bluntly sawtoothed, surface densely hairy with thick red glands rarely with white glands. Desert Cinquefoil is found in Afghanistan to Siberia and West Himalaya, at altitudes of 2500-4500 m. Flowering: June-August.