Leaf
Bibliothèque de l'Université Laval, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shrubby cinquefoil
Dasiphora fruticosa (L.) Rydb.
Also known as: Potentilla, Bush cinquefoil
Family: Rosaceae
0.5 to 1.2 m tall
Borders, beds and rock gardens, ordinary even poor soil, tolerates drought once established
Flowering: May – September
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -30°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Few shrubs flower as long as it does: from spring until the first frosts, its small yellow flowers are renewed without interruption for several months.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, small, composed of 5 to 7 narrow leaflets, greyish-green
🌸 Flowers
Single, shaped like a small flat rose, usually yellow (cultivars white, pink or orange-toned), very numerous
🍎 Fruits
Small dry clustered achenes, of no ornamental interest
🪵 Bark
Light brown, peeling in thin strips with age
🗺️ Distribution
Very wide circumboreal range (Europe, Asia, North America), including some French mountains
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flowering spread over the whole summer, continuously visited by bees and hoverflies
✂️ Horticultural uses
Border shrub widely used in landscaping for its uninterrupted flowering from May until the frosts
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌿 Other Rosaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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