About Potentilla villosa Pall. ex Pursh
Potentilla villosa Pall. ex Pursh is a rhizomatous perennial herb. It produces a tuft of several hairy to woolly stems, growing from a thick base covered in dead foliage left from previous growing seasons. Stems reach up to 20 to 30 centimeters in height. Its thick, leathery basal leaves are compound, divided into three veiny, toothed leaflets with woolly to silky-haired undersides. There may be a few smaller to similarly sized leaves higher on the stem, often nearly matching the size of the basal leaves. The inflorescence holds one to five flowers. Each flower has a five-lobed calyx and five bractlets at its base. The bowl-shaped corolla consists of five notched yellow petals, each up to 1.2 centimeters long, and each petal is marked with an orange spot at its base. There are usually 20 stamens at the center of the flower. Flowering occurs from July through September. The fruit is an achene, which develops in clusters. This is a coastal plant, occurring on coastal bluffs, beaches, as well as in meadows, tundra, and alpine talus.
