Shrubby five-fingers or three-toothed cinquefoil is a perennial wildflower typically found along rocky and gravelly shores as well as in dry shale outcrops on prairie hillsides. Each cluster of flowers may contain up to 25 white five petaled blooms that open at the tips of the stem and side branches with the terminal buds opening first. When grown from seed, it may take two years to produce flowers. Under ideal conditions, plants may live up to 10 years. The attractive low growing form makes it a great groundcover or when planted on the outer edges of a planter it will give a spiller effect. Divide every three to four year period to prevent crowding.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 1 in. - 0 ft. 2 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Compound leaf with three shiny leaflets. Three rounded teeth at the tip of each. The upper side of the leaf is a dark glossy green. The underside is a lighter green. Both covered with sparse hairs. They turn deep red in fall if grown in full sun.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Crowded clusters of small white, oval to egg-shaped, five-petaled flowers. Each has a light green calyx with 5 ovate teeth, a dense cluster of pistils and 20-30 stamens.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit detail
Hairy brown seeds are found in the sepal of each flower.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
The lower stems have shredded bark that is grey-brown.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The lower stems are woody. The upper stems are not woody and light green to red.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Greenland to Northern Central & Eastern U.S.A
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Potentilla support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Derandrena) ziziaeformis, and Panurginus potentillae. Butterflies flowers attract butterflies.