Rosaceae

Snow cinquefoil

Potentilla nivea L.

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Potentilla

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Common names

By language (3)

Chinese: 假雪委陵菜, 多裂委陵菜, 白萎陵菜, 雪白委陵菜
English: Snow cinquefoil, Arctic cinquefoil
Finnish: Pahtahanhikki, Vuoripahtahanhikki

Synonyms

Fragaria nivea (L.) Crantz
Potentilla concinna var. dissecta (S.Watson) B.Boivin
Potentilla dryophylla Pall. ex Ledeb.
Potentilla fissuralis Fed. & Al.Fed. ex Popov
Potentilla flabellifolia subsp. matsumurae Th.Wolf
Potentilla fragariifolia Less. ex Ledeb.
Potentilla hemicryophila (Jurtzev) Soják
Potentilla jamesoniana Grev.
Potentilla jezoensis Soják
Potentilla macrantha Ledeb.
Potentilla matsuokana Makino
Potentilla michoacana Rydb.
Potentilla nivea f. alpina (Turcz.) Th.Wolf
Potentilla nivea f. arctica Cham. & Schltdl.
Potentilla nivea f. incisa (Turcz.) Th.Wolf
Potentilla nivea f. major (Turcz.) Th.Wolf
Potentilla nivea f. multiflora Lehm.
Potentilla nivea f. unifoliolosa (Hultén) B.Boivin
Potentilla nivea prol. vulgaris (Cham. & Schltdl.) Th.Wolf
Potentilla nivea subsp. chionodes Hiitonen
Potentilla nivea subsp. fallax A.E.Porsild
Potentilla nivea subsp. nivea
Potentilla nivea unranked vulgaris Ledeb.
Potentilla nivea var. alpina Turcz.
Potentilla nivea var. camtschatica Cham. & Schltdl.
Potentilla nivea var. canotomentosa Rupr.
Potentilla nivea var. concolor Don
Potentilla nivea var. concolor S.Watson
Potentilla nivea var. dissecta S.Watson
Potentilla nivea var. floribunda Lehm.
Potentilla nivea var. genuina Regel & Tiling
Potentilla nivea var. hirsuta Durand
Potentilla nivea var. incisa Turcz.
Potentilla nivea var. insularis Peschkova
Potentilla nivea var. intermedia Regel & Tiling
Potentilla nivea var. macrantha (Ledeb.) Ledeb.
Potentilla nivea var. major Turcz.
Potentilla nivea var. niveiformis Jurtzev
Potentilla nivea var. pallidior Sw.
Potentilla nivea var. pentaphylla Turcz.

and 13 more.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: native, Canada: native, Greenland: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Hedwig Storch, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Hedwig Storch, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matthieu Libeer, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF

More in Potentilla

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.