# Silvery Cinquefoil (*Potentilla argentea*)

The Silvery Cinquefoil is a lovely flower with soft, silvery leaves and bright yellow blooms. It grows in sunny places and is often found in fields and meadows, making them a cheerful sight in nature.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 3
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Silvery Cinquefoil](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Viltganzerik_DSCF1834.JPG&width=800)

Photo: Teun Spaans, CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viltganzerik_DSCF1834.JPG)

## Appearance

The Silvery Cinquefoil is a low-growing plant with distinctively silvery-white undersides on its leaves, making it stand out from typical green foliage. Its small, five-petaled flowers are bright yellow, often appearing in clusters above the fuzzy, palm-like leaves.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Rosales
- **Family:** Rosaceae
- **Genus:** Potentilla

## Interesting facts

- Even though it looks delicate, Silvery Cinquefoil is a wild cousin to the yummy strawberry plant!
- Its leaves often have five leaflets, which led to its name meaning 'five fingers'!
- Some people once used Silvery Cinquefoil leaves to brew a special herbal tea for various uses!
- This tough little plant can thrive in poor, sandy soil where many other plants struggle to grow!

## Special abilities

- **Silver Shield:** Silvery Cinquefoil has tiny white hairs on its leaves that reflect sunlight, helping it survive in hot, sunny places by reducing water loss.
- **Rooted Resilience:** Silvery Cinquefoil can grow a deep taproot that helps it find water hidden far underground, making it very drought-tolerant.
- **Creeping Colonizer:** Silvery Cinquefoil has stems that creep along the ground, allowing it to spread and create new roots, helping it colonize new areas.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-40 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.8-1.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Gathers nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** Common Eastern Bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — Visits flowers for nectar
- **Parasitizes:** Cinquefoil Leaf Miner (*Phytomyza potentillae*) — Larvae feed inside leaves

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Everblooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/everblooming): Everblooming plants produce flowers continuously or in repeated flushes over a long period.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch flowers without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Silvery Cinquefoil?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Silvery Cinquefoil?

10-40 cm

### How wide does Silvery Cinquefoil spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Silvery Cinquefoil?

0.8-1.5 cm

### When does Silvery Cinquefoil bloom?

Late spring to fall

### Is Silvery Cinquefoil edible?

No

### Is Silvery Cinquefoil toxic?

None

### What is Silvery Cinquefoil's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [McDade Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcdade-park) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden
- [Kabetogama Ranger Station District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kabetogama-ranger-station-district) — Minnesota, US · Historic District
- [Mazo Beach](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mazo-beach) — Wisconsin, US · Nature Reserve
- [Volkspark Wuhlheide (Berlin)](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/volkspark-wuhlheide-berlin) — Berlin, DE · Park

[View all places to see Silvery Cinquefoil](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/silvery-cinquefoil)

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Silvery Cinquefoil: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/silvery-cinquefoil)