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Potentilla reptans

Creeping cinquefoil

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Hans Hillewaert

Short Description

The creeping cinquefoil can grow up to one metre long and 20 cm high.

The leaves have a long, distinct petiole. One leaf is divided into five palmately arranged leaflets (fingered). The leaf margin is toothed.

The stem is mostly reddish, finely hairy and lies on the ground. It forms numerous stolons.

The flowers have five bright yellow petals, many stamens and are very long-stalked.

The plant forms about 200 kidney-shaped nutlets on each flower. The flower base is not fleshy thickened.

Features

Creeping cinquefoil

Potentilla reptans

  • fivefold divided leaves

  • five yellow petals

Similar species

Wild strawberry

Fragaria vesca
The leaves consist of three completely separate sections. The petals are white. When the fruit ripens, the base of the flower is fleshy and turns red.

Silverleaf cinquefoil

Potentilla argentea
The leaves have deeply toothed margins and are light grey with felt-like hairs on the underside.
Blüten (CC0 1.0) AnRo0002

In the city

In the city, creeping cinquefoil is particularly common on damp meadows, road embankments and rubble areas such as railway ballast.

Fun Facts

  • An infusion of dried leaves and flowers is used for external inflammations and poor wound healing.

  • The flowering period is from June to August.

  • It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Blatt (CC BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

Sources

Habitus, Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potentilla_reptans_(plant).jpg

Blüten, AnRo0002, CC0 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20170525Potentilla_reptans4.jpg

Blatt, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potentilla_reptans_sl4.jpg

Eggenberg, S. & Möhl, A. (2007) Flora Vegetativa: Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Pflanzen der Schweiz im blütenlosen Zustand, Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt Verlag.

Jäger, E. J. (2011) Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband, Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Page „Kriechendes Fingerkraut“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 13.04.2017, 07:18 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kriechendes_Fingerkraut&oldid=164510963 (Accessed: 19.07.2017).

Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=4533& (Accessed: 19.07.2017).