Potentilla norvegica

L.

Norwegian Cinquefoil

G5Secure Found in 37 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134447
Element CodePDROS1B160
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilyRosaceae
GenusPotentilla
Other Common Names
Norwegian cinquefoil (EN) Potentille de Norvège (FR) Rough Cinquefoil (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (vol. 9, 2014) lumps subspecific taxa.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-19
Change Date1984-06-25
Edition Date2024-08-19
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Potentilla norvegica is a forb occurring in moist habitats including meadows, stream and river banks, lakeshores, roadsides, grassy areas, forests, and tundras worldwide. It is considered native to Mexico, Central America, North America and Eurasia, and introduced in South America and the Pacific Islands. There are several thousand occurrences of this species rangewide, which are threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and succession. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent, a high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, Potentilla norvegica is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Potentilla norvegica has a widespread, global distribution, and it is considered native to Mexico, Central America, North America and Eurasia, and introduced in South America and the Pacific Islands (FNA 2014). North American populations are composed of both native and introduced Eurasian races, and morphological features distinguishing between these are subtle and inconstant. In North America, Potentilla norvegica occurs in all provinces of Canada and most of the United States except for Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The range extent of Potentilla norvegica was estimated to be well over 2.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be many thousand occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Potentilla norvegica is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, succession, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

In North America, Potentilla norvegica occurs in "moist meadows, stream banks, lakeshores, roadsides, grasslands, hardwood and conifer woodlands, [and] tundra" (FNA 2014).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferGrassland/herbaceousTundra
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
LabradorS4Yes
NunavutS3Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
QuebecS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
MontanaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
IllinoisSNANo
OregonSNANo
West VirginiaS5Yes
WyomingSNANo
AlaskaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
North DakotaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
VermontSNANo
MarylandSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
ColoradoS4Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KansasS3Yes
New JerseySNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
South CarolinaS2Yes
IowaS5Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL, BIENNIAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (37)
Alaska (9)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
FibreHiawatha National Forest7,432
Minnesota (5)
AreaForestAcres
Baker - Homer - Brule LakesSuperior National Forest6,712
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
Kawishiwi Lake To SawbillSuperior National Forest15,305
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
Montana (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLolo National Forest118,485
Big LogHelena National Forest8,954
Reservation DivideLolo National Forest16,908
Nevada (2)
AreaForestAcres
Fourmile HillHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest15,718
Wellington HillsHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest21,009
New Hampshire (4)
AreaForestAcres
JobildunkWhite Mountain National Forest3,660
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
WatervilleWhite Mountain National Forest4,312
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alamo CanyonSanta Fe National Forest8,639
North Dakota (2)
AreaForestAcres
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
VenloDakota Prairie Grasslands5,317
Utah (3)
AreaForestAcres
418003Uinta National Forest10,912
Clarkston Mtn.Caribou National Forest7,099
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Vermont (3)
AreaForestAcres
Lye Brook Addition 09085Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,111
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Illinois CreekMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest6,711
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2014b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 9. Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 713 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).