Potentilla multifida L.

Herbs perennial. Roots terete, slightly woody. Flowering stems ascending, sometimes spreading near ground, rarely erect, 3–40 cm tall, appressed or spreading pubescent or sericeous. Radical leaves 2.5–17 cm including petiole; stipules brown, membranous, abaxially pilose or glabrescent; petiole appressed or spreading pubescent; leaf blade pinnate with (2 or)3–5(or 6) pairs of leaflets; leaflets opposite, rarely alternate, at intervals of 0.5–2 cm, oblong-elliptic or broadly ovate, 1–5 × 0.8–2 cm, distal leaflets larger than proximal ones, abaxially white tomentose, appressed sericeous-villous on veins, adaxially appressed pubescent, densely appressed villous, or rarely glabrescent, midvein and lateral veins convex, margin revolute, pinnately parted almost to midvein, apex acute or ligulate; segments fasciated, fasciated lanceolate, or ligulate fasciated; cauline leaves 2 or 3; stipules green, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, herbaceous, apex acute or acuminate, 2-fid or entire; leaf blade resembling that of radical leaves but leaflets fewer higher up stem. Inflorescence corymbose-cymose, elongated and lax after flowering. Flowers 1.2–1.5 cm in diam.; pedicel 1.5–2.5 cm, pubescent. Sepals triangular-ovate, apex acute or acuminate; epicalyx segments lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, slightly shorter than sepals, appressed villous, apex obtuse or acute. Petals yellow, obovate, equaling sepals, apex emarginate. Style subterminal, conic, base thickened, papillate; stigma slightly enlarged. Achenes smooth or rugose. Fl. and fr. May–Aug.

Europe, Asia, ?N. America.

Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [Asia, Europe, North America].

3500-3900 m

Forest margins, meadows, grassy mountain slopes, alpine valleys, ravines, sandy river banks; 700--5000 m.

Potentilla multifida L. Sp. PI. 496. 1753
Fragaria multifida Crantz, Inst. 2 : 176. 1766.
Cespitose perennial ; stems many from the caudex, low, at last spreading, generally less than 2 dm. high, appressed silky-strigose ; stipules large, lanceolate, acuminate, more or less scarious and brown ; leaves pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets, grayish-tomentose beneath, smooth above ; leaflets pectinately divided to very near the midrib into linear acute revolute divisions ; hypanthium silky-strigose, in fruit 5-7 mm. in diameter ; bractlets oblonglanceolate, acute, a little shorter than the ovate-lanceolate acute sepals, which are 3-4 mm. long ; petals cuneate, emarginate, a little exceeding the sepals, 4-5 mm. long ; stamens about 20 ; pistils many ; styles short, scarcely thickened at the base.
Type locality : Siberia.
Distribution : Northern and alpine Europe and Asia, and subarctic America west to Great Slave I<ake.