Blueleaf Cinquefoil, Different-leaved Cinquefoil, Diverse-leaved Cinquefoil, Mountain Meadow Cinquefoil, Varileaf Cinquefoil, Vari-leaved Cinquefoil

Potentilla glaucophylla

Synonyms: Potentilla xdiversifolia, Potentilla diversifolia, Potentilla diversifolia ssp. glaucophylla, Potentilla diversifolia var. diversifolia, Potentilla diversifolia var. glaucophylla, Potentilla diversifolia var. perdissecta, Potentilla diversifolia var. ranunculus, Potentilla glaucophylla, Potentilla glaucophylla var. glaucophylla, Potentilla glaucophylla var. perdissecta, Potentilla perdissecta

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil is a perennial with several spreading to erect stems from 5-30 cm high (usually less than 30 cm high) and fan-like leaves. The herbage is eglandular-pubescent. The leaves are mostly basal and usually are palmately lobed (occasionally somewhat pinnately compound) with 5-7 leaflets. The petiole ranges from 2-6 cm long and the oblanceolate to obovate leaflets range from about 1-2.5 cm long. The middle leaf let is usually the longest. The margins consist of shallow to deeply toothed leaf edges, generally on the upper half of the leaf. The leaf surface is often a glaucous-blue color (See photo below.), but may also be somewhat haired to glabrous and green.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil is so named as the leaves are extremely variable in terms of hairiness, whether the leaf is palmately or subpinnately divided, and into the depth of the lobes or teeth on the leaflets.

The inflorescence is a many-flowered open cyme which is villous-haired to eglandular-hairy.The hypanthium is saucer-shaped. The 5 sepals are ovate to deltate-lanceolate in shape and range from 3.5-5.5 mm long with pointed tips. The yellow petals are oblanceolate to obovate in shape, and range from 4.8- 8.5 mm long with rounded, truncate, retuse tips. The stamens number 20, and there are numerous pistils.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil may be found on dry rocky, windswept ridges and in open woods. It is most often found between the elevations of 2700-3500 meters.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil may be found from southern British Columbia south through Washington and Oregon (from the Cascade crest east) to eastern California and east to western Montana and hence south through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil as seen on a serpentine bald along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........August 1, 2011.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil as seen along the summit ridge between the East Rim Viewpoint and the Steens Mountain summit, Harney County, Oregon.........September 1, 2011.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil as seen on rocky outcrops along the South Loop Road about one mile downhill to the west of the East Rim Viewpoint, Steens Mountain, Harney County, Oregon.........August 31, 2011.

Diverse-leaved cinquefoil as seen at left along the East Fork Lostine River Trail #1662, Eagle Cap Wilderness.........August 4, 2016. The photo at right shows diverse-leaved cinquefoil as seen along the Bullrun Trail #1961 about one-quarter mile northwest of Bullrun Rock, Monument Rock Wilderness.....July 9, 2023.

Close-ups of the leaves of what might be diverse-leaved cinquefoil (or is this a very fine-leaved P. gracilis var. fastigiata ?) as seen on a serpentine bald along the Canyon Mountain Trail #218, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........June 21, 2011.

The photo above shows the underside of the hypanthium of diverse-leaved cinquefoil with the sepals, which are shorter than the petals. Also shown at righ is the glaucous leaf of diverse-leaved cinquefoil which is most often toothed on the upper half of each leaflet in comparison with the similar leaf of slender cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis, which has leaflets toothed along the entire margin.