Potentilla Megalantha Cinquefoil (Cinquefoil)

About

Potentilla Megalantha Cinquefoil is a member of the Potentilla genus, notable for the cinquefoil form and the genus’s characteristically palmate leaves and usually yellow flowers. In the UK it flowers from June to September. Leaves often resemble small strawberry foliage while the fruit tends to be dry and inedible. Potentilla species include annuals, biennials and perennials, so check the label for the life cycle of this particular named plant.

About the genus

Potentilla is a genus containing over 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.

Wikipedia contributors, "Potentilla", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Potentilla

In the garden

Potentilla Megalantha Cinquefoil sits within a large genus of more than 500 Potentilla species in the rose family, many of which occur across the northern continents and in montane zones such as the New Guinea highlands. The genus includes annuals, biennials and herbaceous perennials with palmate or divided leaves and flowers that are usually yellow; for this plant expect flowering in the UK from June to September. Confirm whether the stock you purchase is an annual or a perennial and consult the nursery for specific light and soil preferences, because growing requirements vary across Potentilla. Observe the foliage and flowering habit after planting to learn whether the form spreads or remains clump-forming in your conditions. Many gardeners use Potentilla types where reliable summer flower cover is wanted, but treatment and placement should follow the supplier’s care notes for this named selection. Note that, unlike strawberries, cinquefoils typically produce dry, inedible fruit rather than fleshy berries, so any resemblance to strawberry plants is foliar and floral rather than culinary.

More in the Potentilla genus

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