Plant of the Month: Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa)

Dasiphora fruticosa, commonly known as Shrubby Cinquefoil, is within the Rosaceae (rose) family. Its other common names include golden hardhack and potentilla. Dasiphora fruticosa, formerly Potentilla fruticosa, is the only species of plant in the Dasiphora genus.

Shrubby cinquefoil is a low rounded shrub about 3-4 feet tall and equally as wide. Its leaves are dark green and pinnate in shape with 5 leaflets that are oblong and typically 3-20 mm in length. The leaves have fine silvery hairs about 1mm long. They most commonly have bright yellow flowers, that have 5 round petals, similar to a buttercup flower, but blooms can be pink, white, or red.

Shrubby cinquefoil is commonly used as a landscaping plant in Alberta due to its drought resistance and its benefits in reducing erosion. It will grow in partial shade or full sun, prefers cooler overall climates, and requires medium to minimal moisture. It is a perennial shrub that is attractive to butterflies as well as other pollinators such as bees. Shrubby cinquefoil has a long blooming period from early June through October, providing pollinators with a consistent nectar source. Shrubby cinquefoil plants can be dioecious (having one sex per plant) or bisexual (having both sexes in a single plant). Dioecious bushes are either all female or all male flowers, meaning in order to be pollinated there must be two bushes of each sex within pollinating distance from one another.

I have had awesome luck finding many different types of pollinators visiting D.fruticosa this summer!

Reminder
Our August Pollinator Walk will be held on Saturday August 12, 2023 from 12:00pm-1:30pm at Caburn Park. Register for the event here.

Posted on August 7, 2023 06:19 PM by jdo77