Potentilla sericea L.

Herbs perennial. Roots robust, slightly woody. Flowering stems erect or ascending, 5–20 cm tall, together with petioles spreading white sericeous-villous. Radical leaves 3–8 cm including petiole; stipules brown, membranous, abaxially sericeous or villous; leaf blade pinnate with 2–6 pairs of leaflets; leaflets opposite, rarely alternate, at intervals of 3–5 mm or adjacent, sessile, adaxially green, oblong, usually 5–15 × 3–8 mm, distal leaflets larger than proximal ones, abaxially white tomentose and white sericeous, adaxially appressed sericeous, margin revolute or not, pectinately parted, apex obtuse or acute; segments linear; cauline leaves 1 or 2; stipules green, ovate, herbaceous, abaxially villous, margin acutely serrate, rarely entire, apex acuminate. Inflorescence laxly cymose. Flowers 0.8–2.2 cm in diam.; pedicel 1–2 cm, densely pubescent and villous. Sepals triangular-ovate, apex acute; epicalyx segments lanceolate, slightly shorter than or rarely nearly equaling sepals, apex obtuse or acute. Petals yellow, obovate, slightly longer than sepals, apex emarginate. Style subterminal, base thickened. Achenes brown, cylindric-ovoid, rugose. Fl. and fr. May–Sep.

Gansu, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [NW Himalayas to Kashmir, Mongolia, Russia].

Forest margins, grasslands, meadows and rock crevices on mountain slopes, inundated river banks; 600--5200 m.