About Comarum palustre L.
Comarum palustre L. has stems that range in color from green to reddish-brown. Young stems are finely hairy, and the plant grows low, sprawling, and vine-like. Its long trailing stems reach up to 1.5 m (5 ft) or longer, scrambling over other vegetation; they occasionally reach a height of 45 cm (1 ft), but usually grow shorter. Stems root easily at the base and anywhere along their length that comes into contact with the ground or water. The leaves are glaucous green, and made up of three to seven, most often five, narrow leaflets. Leaflets are 3–6 cm (1–2 in) long, with coarsely toothed edges. Flowers grow in loose clusters at the tips of stems, and range in color from red to purple. Each flower is 20–30 mm (about 1 in) in diameter. Flowers have five, sometimes six, large sepals, and five, sometimes six, smaller darker petals. A ring of spatula-shaped stamens surrounds the flower receptacle. Flowering occurs from late spring to summer, between late May and July. The fruit resembles a small dry strawberry. In cultivation, marsh cinquefoil prefers peaty soils, but can also grow in moist sandy areas, and thrives in USDA Zones 3–9.
