Flora-Fauna

Potentilla reptans L.

(Sp. Pl.: 499; 1753 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CXCII nº 1; 1969)

• Life-form & habit: Perennial herb with long, creeping stolons rooting at the nodes, forming mats up to 1 m across. Flowering stems ascending, 10–30 cm tall, sparsely hairy and branched at the base.

• Leaves: All leaves radical, long-petioled, palmately 5-foliolate; leaflets obovate to obcordate, 15–35 × 10–25 mm, coarsely serrate except near the base, green and sparsely hairy above, densely villous beneath; stipules large, ovate, membranous, and persistent.

• Inflorescence & flowers: Solitary or few-flowered on long peduncles arising from the nodes. Flowers 15–25 mm in diameter, bright yellow; petals obcordate, longer than the calyx; sepals 5, triangular-lanceolate, alternating with 5 smaller epicalyx segments. Stamens 20; carpels numerous, free, arranged on a conical receptacle.

• Fruit: Achenes numerous, small (1–1.5 mm), smooth and shiny, contained within the persistent calyx; style lateral.

• Phenology: Flowers and fruits from April to August.

• Habitat & elevation: Moist meadows, stream banks, field margins, and open woodland clearings; prefers loamy or clayey soils with moderate moisture, from 0 to 1 800 m.

• Lebanese distribution: Reported by Mouterde (1969) from Mount Lebanon (Barouk, Aley, and Sannine), Akkar, and Beqaa Valley (Zahlé, Baalbek). Occurs in humid montane pastures and roadsides, often forming extensive ground cover in spring.

• Native to: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Central European Russia, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Xinjiang, Yemen (POWO).

• Introduced into: Bermuda, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Norway, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Queensland, Québec, Tasmania, Victoria, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin (POWO).

• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Potentilla reptans — the creeping cinquefoil — is easily recognised by its long stolons, palmately divided leaves, and bright yellow, five-petaled flowers. Mouterde (1969) described Lebanese populations as vigorous, mat-forming herbs of humid mountain meadows.