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Prairie Cinquefoil
Potentilla arguta

Prairie Cinquefoil delicate white to cream-yellow flowers and fuzzy leaves and stems. It grows best in dry soil and is drought tolerant, with a long central taproot.

USDA symbol: POAR7

General Information

Plant TypeForb
Height1 to 3 feet
Light ExposureSun, Part Sun
Soil MoistureDry
Bloom ColorWhite
Prairie Cinquefoil (Prairie Cinquefoil<div><em class="small">Potentilla arguta</em></div>)
Photo credit: United States Department of Agriculture (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceModerate
General Resilience7
Salt ToleranceNone
Stress ToleranceDrought Tolerant

Pollinator Value: Medium

Bloom MonthsJuly to August
Larval Host ofBees
Specific Pollinators HostedAndrena melanochroa
Pollinator BenefitInsect Pollinated, Provides Nectar, Supports Generalists

Project Planning

Project TypeRestoration
Coefficient of Conservatism7
Herbivore SensitivityLow
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadSlow
Soil StabilizationShallow
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyAnoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Roseau, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine
EcoregionDriftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Northern Minnesota Wetlands, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands