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Rough Cinquefoil

Potentilla norvegica

Found in floodplain forests, alluvial openings; sand bars, pastures, fields, disturbed areas, especially where moist. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

75
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
1–3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or perennial
Bloom
May to December
Fruiting season
June to December

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 78 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

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rosaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
December

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late May to December” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Fruit begins · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “December” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Height · “1–3 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Norwegian Cinquefoil

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNR
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources