About Potentilla cinerea Chaix ex Vill.
Potentilla cinerea Chaix ex Vill. is also widely known by the scientific name Potentilla pusilla, and by the common names spring cinquefoil or spotted cinquefoil. It is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the rose family, Rosaceae. Mature plants reach a height of 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 inches). This species was first formally scientifically described by H.G.L. Reichenbach in 1832. P.F.A. Ascherson later reclassified it under the name P. tabernaemontani, which is now considered an invalid name. The name P. verna was also incorrectly applied to this species; the P. verna originally described by Linnaeus actually refers to alpine cinquefoil (P. crantzii). This is a relatively unremarkable cinquefoil species. It grows on low-lying stems, bearing the typical five-fingered leaves of the genus, and five-petalled yellow flowers that appear in early spring. As its common name suggests, it is one of the first cinquefoils to flower across most of its range. It can grow in dry, marginal habitats including roadsides, meadows, and talus. It is used in rock gardens, where it produces dense, bright clumps of yellow blooms at a time when few other plants are flowering.
