Potentilla diversifolia or glaucophylla, June 4, 2020
Common & scientific name
Blueleaf cinquefoil, Potentilla diversifolia or glaucophylla
Family
Rose, Rosaceae
Location
Midway ridge, 12,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Good luck telling our ten or so species of Potentillas apart! They are all yellow (except P. arguta, which is white), and their flowers are basically identical, so the key lies in the leaves. Time for some fun botanical lingo: are they pinnate? (leaflets along each side of a stem, like a feather) or digitate? (lobes radiating from one point, like fingers from a palm); glabrous? (smooth) or pubescent? (hairy); toothed deeply, shallowly, or only on the upper third? (spoiler alert: this last one is key for identifying P. diversifolia, and the answer is yes to the last!)