Rosaceae

Common cinquefoil

Potentilla simplex Michx.

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Potentilla

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Common cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex) — FlowerPhoto: Kailey Alderfer, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (2)

English: Common cinquefoil, Old-field five-fingers
Tamil: பொட்டென்டில்லா சிம்ப்ளெக்ஸ்

Synonyms

Callionia simplex (Michx.) Greene
Potentilla canadensis var. simplex (Michx.) Torr. & A.Gray
Potentilla simplex var. argyrisma Fernald
Potentilla simplex var. calvescens Fernald
Potentilla simplex var. typica Fernald
Tormentilla simplex (Michx.) Kechaykin & Shmakov

Flowers

In flower: April to June (from 944 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Kailey Alderfer, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Daniel J. Layton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: camber13, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: scaup, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Frank Mayfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Superior National Forest, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Regina (Gina) Hart, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Superior National Forest, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Reuven Martin, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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.