Sulfur Cinquefoil

Potentilla recta

 

 

Description: This stout perennial is in the rose family and grows 2-3 feet tall.  Sulfur cinquefoil is very leafy, hairy, and can grow in large colonies. The flowers bloom May-August and have 5 slightly notched petals in hues of yellow or cream.

 

Ecological Threat: Grazing animals will not eat this plant and it is considered a weed of native grasslands. 

 

Biology & Spread: This invasive grows in disturbed areas such as along roadways and waste grounds as well as in prairies, banks of streams, and tops of bluffs. This plant can reproduce by seed or vegetatively.

 

Threat in Oklahoma: This plant is not eaten by livestock and can survive in disturbed areas, making it very invasive.  Sulfur cinquefoil has a woody root crown which makes mowing an ineffective means of controlling it.