Potentilla reptans

Morphological description

Perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Rosaceae, characterized by a creeping and stoloniferous habit. The stems are up to 1 meter long, thin, flexible, and rooting at the nodes, allowing the plant to spread horizontally and form new leaf rosettes. The stolons, reddish in color, generally have sparse hairiness.

The leaves are palmate, typically composed of five obovate leaflets with a cuneate base, varying in size between 8-20 mm in width and 16-60 mm in length. The leaflets are green on both sides, glabrous or slightly pubescent, with a coarsely dentate or crenate-dentate margin, with 5-10 blunt teeth per side, and with a rounded or obtuse apex. The basal leaves are long-petiolate, while the cauline ones are smaller and subsessile. At the base of the leaves there are foliar stipules, generally entire or bidentate.

The flowers are solitary, hermaphroditic, intense golden yellow in color, with a diameter ranging between 1 and 2 cm, sometimes up to 3 cm. They are axillary, on erect peduncles 4 to 8 cm long, which protrude above the leaves. The corolla is composed of five obcordate petals, longer than the sepals, with a notched apex. The calyx is formed by five triangular and hairy sepals, with an epicalyx presenting five lobes larger than those of the calyx itself. The stamens are numerous (about 20), arranged in three series, with filaments villous in the lower half and yellow anthers that turn brown at maturity. The ovary is superior, formed by numerous free carpels with delicate and deciduous styles.

The fruits are aggregated achenes, hairy and wrinkled, about 1.3-1.6 mm, dispersed through mechanisms of falling and passive transport.

The root system is taproot, allowing good anchorage to the soil and efficient absorption of water and nutrients.

Habitat and distribution

Species widely distributed throughout the Italian territory and also present in much of the Mediterranean area, as well as in Europe, Western and Northern Asia, and North Africa. It grows from the plains up to mountain elevations of about 1,600 meters above sea level.

It prefers open and semi-shaded environments such as uncultivated lands, poor and humid meadows, edges of paths and roads, ruins, rubble, and wet areas such as margins of ponds, ditches, and canals. It prefers fresh and well-drained soils, with exposure varying from full sun to partial shade.

Flowering period

Flowering extends from May to September, with peaks that may vary slightly depending on latitude and altitude. In some Mediterranean areas, flowering can extend until October.

Ecology and pollination

The species is mainly pollinated by pollinating insects, such as bees, hymenopterans, and dipterans, attracted by the yellow flowers and the presence of abundant nectar and pollen. The flower structure, with well-visible petals and long peduncles, facilitates access to pollinators.

Reproduction occurs both sexually through seeds produced by the aggregated achenes, and vegetatively through stolons that root at the nodes, allowing the plant to quickly colonize new surfaces.

Curiosities and traditional uses

The scientific name derives from the Latin potens, meaning "strong, powerful", indicating the tonic and astringent properties attributed to many species of the genus. The specific name reptans refers to the creeping habit of the stems. The common Italian name "cinquefoglia comune" indicates the characteristic leaf composed of five segments.

Traditionally, the plant has been used in folk medicine for its astringent, febrifuge, and mildly antispasmodic properties, especially in cases of diarrhea, nosebleeds, gum inflammations, and as a remedy for difficult-to-heal wounds. In the past, it was considered an antidote against bites from venomous animals and used to treat pulmonary diseases.

The young, tender, and fresh leaflets are edible and were used in salads. Furthermore, the plant is appreciated by the cosmetic industry for its anti-wrinkle properties, used in the production of skin creams.

Etymology

The genus name Potentilla derives from the Latin potens, "powerful", referring to the astringent and tonic properties of some species. The specific epithet reptans means "creeping", describing the typical habit of the plant with stems that extend horizontally and root at the nodes.

The common name "cinquefoglia" refers to the characteristic leaf composed of five leaflets, very distinctive and easily recognizable.

Sources

• Prof. S. Pignatti, Flora d'Italia
• Acta Plantarum - Flora delle regioni italiane (sheet by Marinella Zepigi)
• Tela Botanica / H. Coste, Flore descriptive et illustrée de la France
• World Flora Online (WFO)