About Potentilla sericoleuca (Rydb.) Howell
Potentilla sericoleuca is a small perennial herb that grows in a low ground-hugging tuft. Each leaf is made up of numerous hairy green leaflets, which form a flat to cylindrical structure. Individual leaflets measure 3 to 15 millimeters long, and full leaves reach 10 to 20 centimeters in length. The mostly bare stem is either erect or drooping, and reaches a maximum height or length of about 45 centimeters (18 inches). The stem holds an inflorescence made of several clusters of hairy flowers. Each flower is just over one centimeter wide, with triangular sepals that are reddish-green or yellowish, and round to spoon-shaped white petals. The center of the flower usually contains 20 stamens and several pistils. This plant is endemic to eastern California, where it grows in the Northern Sierra Nevada extending onto the southern Modoc Plateau. It occurs at elevations between 1,300 and 2,320 meters (4,270 to 7,610 feet), growing in sagebrush scrub, yellow pine forest meadows, and freshwater wetland-riparian habitats.
