SafePlants

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa)

Shrubby Cinquefoil, also known as Bush Cinquefoil or Shrubby Five-fingers, is a popular deciduous shrub appreciated for its bright flowers and hardy nature.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Dasiphora fruticosa
• Formerly: Potentilla fruticosa
• Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)
• Synonyms: Dasiphora floribunda, Potentilla floribunda, Pentaphylloides floribunda
• Taxonomic Rank: Subspecies (e.g., Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda)

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to cool regions.
• Widely used in landscape plantings.
• Found in fens and other wet places.
• Specific location example: Kandavas pagasts in Latvia, where a nature park was established to protect its growth.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Deciduous shrub.
• Multi-stemmed and many-branched.
• Typically grows in a bushy mound.
• Reaches heights of 1 to 6.5 feet (approximately 0.3 to 2 meters), though some sources indicate smaller sizes.
• Spreading to erect growth habit.
• Young branches are silky, becoming glabrous (smooth) and reddish-brown with shredding bark.
• Features five-lobed, hand-shaped leaves.
• Bright yellow flowers, about an inch across, with numerous yellow stamens that turn red. Blooms from early summer to autumn. Other flower colors include white, orange, and pink.

Ecological Role

• A very hardy and widely used native in landscape plantings.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Mentioned as a plant family visited by bees.

Cultivars

• Numerous cultivars exist, bearing flowers in a variety of colors.
• Examples: 'Elizabeth', 'Abbotswood', 'Primrose Beauty', 'Lovely Pink' ('Pink Beauty') (PBR), 'Goldfinger', 'Coronation Triumph'.