Sulphur Cinquefoil

Potentilla recta

Found in fields, pastures, roadsides, other disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height: Sulfur cinquefoil has 1 to several slender, erect, hairy stems that are 8 to 30 inches tall.
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to average

Potentilla recta — whole plant photograph — (c) Dmitriy Bochkov, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: April to July
Fruiting season: May to August

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 95 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

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)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Rosaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH: Alkaline
Flower color: Yellow
Fruit begins: May
Fruit ends: August

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “Sulfur cinquefoil has 1 to several slender, erect, hairy stems that are 8 to 30 inches (20-80 cm) tall.” · Fire Effects Information System: Potentilla recta (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Source botanical description; original units and scope retained
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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