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Dwarf Cinquefoil

Potentilla canadensis

Found in woodlands, forests, fields, lawns, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

78
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Semi-evergreen
Bloom
Spring and summer
Fruiting season
April to June

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread

Recorded in 97 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 133 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Potentilla

  • Ancylis floridanaStrawberry Leafroller
  • Dysstroma citrataDark Marbled Carpet
  • Hesperumia sulphurariaSulphur Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pyrgus centaureaeGrizzled Skipper
  • Sicya maculariaSharp-Lined Yellow
  • Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
Show all 11
  • Coleophora rupestrella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
20BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Potentilla

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Potentilla

  • Andrena melanochroa
  • Panurginus potentillae
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Potentilla

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 1
  • Cistogaster occidua

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Phyciodes tharos

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 1
  • Leionotus clypeatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rosaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Yellow or white
Fruit begins
April
Fruit ends
June

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources