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Potentilla fruticosa - L.

Shrubby Cinquefoil

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Rosaceae	Genus	Potentilla
Synonyms	Dasiphora fruticosa - (L.)Rydb. Pentaphylloides fruticosa - (L.)Schwarz.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to the Pyrenees, N. and C. Asia to Japan.
Habitat	Damp rocky ground, usually on limestone[17].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 1.2m by 1.2m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Ground Cover; Hedge;

Edible Uses

Edible Uses: Tea.

A tea is made from the dried leaves[2, 46, 61, 183, 257, 272]. Used as a substitute for China tea, especially by people living at high elevations in the Himalayas[272].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Astringent.

The leaves are astringent[240]. The juice of the root is used in the treatment of indigestion[272].

Other Uses

Ground cover; Hedge; Incense; Packing; Soil stabilization; Tinder.

Can be grown as a medium size informal hedge[29, 200]. Trim in spring[200]. Some forms, notably 'Longacre', 'Elizabeth' and 'Gold Drop' have a dense spreading habit and make good ground cover plants[197]. A useful plant for controlling soil erosion[158]. The dry, flaky bark is used as a tinder for friction fires[99, 257]. (fires started by rubbing 2 pieces of wood together very fast). The powdered plant is used as an incense[272]. The leaves are used as a packing material in pillows[257].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade[1]. Prefers an alkaline soil but tolerates a slightly acid soil[200]. Prefers a light well-drained soil[108]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c[184]. A very ornamental shrub[1], there are many named varieties[11]. Polymorphic[11]. A good bee plant[108]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233]. Dislikes growing under trees, especially Juglans species[18]. Plants are usually dioecious but hermaphrodite forms are also known[182]. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 3 - 5cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in the autumn if possible and overwinter in a cold frame[78]. Softwood cuttings taken in the early summer[11, 113]. Easy.

Cultivars

'Elizabeth'

Growing about 1 metre tall and wide, and flowering freely on the tips of every shoot for about 5 months each year[11, 200], it has a dense spreading habit and makes a good ground cover plant[197]. It is rather subject to mildew, however[11].

'Gold Drop'

A dwarf form growing up to 60cm tall and 90cm wide[11, 200] with a dense spreading habit, it makes a good ground cover plant[197].

'Longacre'

Growing about 80cm tall[11], it has a dense spreading habit and makes a good ground cover plant[197].

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[29] Shepherd. F.W. Hedges and Screens. Royal Horticultural Society. 1974 ISBN 0900629649
A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[197] Royal Horticultural Society. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells. 1989 ISBN 0-304-31089-1
A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[272] Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002 ISBN 0-88192-527-6
Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Potentilla fruticosa

Soren Rosborg Thu Jun 18 2009

My and my friend are trying to import some herbal tea from Russsia and in that occasion we need to prove for the authorities if Pentaphylloides fruticosa have been used as a food in the EU before May 1997! Can anybody help us with this kind of documentation? our maybe send some links?

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