Sulfur Cinquefoil

Potentilla recta - Rosaceae Family - Perennial

Identification

• Flowers:  Light yellow flowers with 5 heart-shaped petals surrounding a darker yellow center.
• Seeds:  Reproduces primarily by seed.  Seeds can remain viable in the soil for 4 years.
• Leaves:  Palmately lobed with 5 to 7 long leaflets, green on the underside, unlike native cinquefoils which are silver.
• Flowering Time:  May – July, produces seed in July.
• Life cycle/ other: 1-3 ft tall perennial.  Plants have a deep taproot surrounded by shallow, spreading roots which regenerate annually allowing some plants to live up to 20 years.      

Impacts

• Highly invasive and quickly outcompetes native plants.
• Adaptable to many different habitats ranging from wet meadows to dry rangeland and does not need a disturbance to invade a new area.
• Can significantly reduce the forage value of a pasture or rangeland and is one of the last plants to be grazed by most animals except for goats. 

Most effective control methods

• For small infestations, pull or dig up plants and remove as much root as possible so the plant will not re-sprout.  Monitor through-out the year for missed plants or re-sprouts.
• For larger infestations, a chemical application using a selective broadleaf herbicide combined with a surfactant is recommended.  Recent research found picloram, triclopyr, and dicamba to be the most effective when combined with seeding of native grasses.
• After applying the herbicide, do not cut down the treated plants until they have died completely. This can take two weeks or more.

Control methods and timing

Prevention (Prev) Monitor and destroy new plants before seed production.

Mechanical (Mech) Hand pulling, digging, cutting, mowing and tilling.

Cultural (Cult) Biological control agents, livestock grazing, and revegetation practices.

Chemical (Chem) Selective herbicides based on the plant and the specific location. Check our weed fact sheets for specific control information.

Sulfur cinquefoil: flower

Sulfur cinquefoil: foliage

Sulfur cinquefoil: flowers and foliage

Sulfur cinquefoil: stems

Sulfur cinquefoil: flowers and foliage

Sulfur cinquefoil: seedling

Sulfur cinquefoil

Sulfur cinquefoil: infestation

• Sulfur Cinquefoil Fact Sheet

• References

  DiTomaso, J.M., G.B. Kyser et al. (2013). Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States [PDF file]. Weed Research and Information Center, University of California. Retrieved from https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural-areas/wr_P/Potentilla.pdf View PDF

  Duncan, C. (2017, March 22). Managing sulfur cinquefoil in natural areas. Retrieved from https://www.techlinenews.com/articles/2017/managing-sulfur-cinquefoil-in-natural-areas

  Kadrmas, T., Johnson, W. Identifying and managing sulfur cinquefoil [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/nr/2003/FS0304.pdf View PDF

  United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2007, December). Ecology and management of sulfur cinquefoil (potentialla recta L.) [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://www.msuinvasiveplants.org/documents/mt_noxious_weeds/sulfur_cinquefoil.pdf View PDF

  Zouhar, Kris. (2003). Potentilla recta. Fire Effects Information System. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/potrec/all.html