Astragalus gilviflorus

Comarum palustre

Marsh Cinquefoil

Flower in Ground

13-July-2011
Centre Block, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta refer to this species as Potentilla palustris, and it is this nomenclature that is used below. Note that the key to the genera in Flora of Alberta requires petals usually longer than the sepals. In fact, the sepals are much longer than the petals in this species. This item has been removed from the list below.

Palustris: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species.

plant of aquatic and marshy habitats; NOT [plant of drier habitats]

herb, or woody at base; NOT [shrub]

plant decumbent

leaves with 5-7 leaflets

flowers reddish purple; NOT [flowers white or yellow]

Potentilla: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.

herbs, or with a woody base and otherwise herbaceous; NOT [shrubs or trees]

leaves compound; NOT [leaves simple, usually toothed]

leaves NOT much dissected into linear lobes

basal leaves with MORE than 3 leaflets

calyx bractlets present (appearing like 10 sepals); NOT [calyx bractlets lacking]

hypanthium LACKING hooked prickles

stamens 10-many; NOT [stamens 5]

carpels 10-many; NOT [carpels 5-20], NOT [carpels 2]

styles articulated at base and not jointed near the middle; NOT [styles not articulated at base but often with an abrupt bend or joint near the middle]

style much shorter than the achene; NOT [style much longer than the achene]

NOT [style hooked or plumose in fruit]

style deciduous from the achene, not persisting in the fruit

carpels becoming achenes NOT [carpels becoming drupelets (raspberry-like)]

fruit NOT fleshy

Rosaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family.

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

plants terrestrial or semiaquatic; NOT [plants aquatic, leaves submerged or floating]

plants NOT with colored milky juice

plants with more than one normal leaf

some or all leaves alternate; NOT [leaves opposite, whorled, or basal]

leaves with stipules; NOT [leaves without stipules, or having glands]

calyx regular; NOT [calyx irregular, some sepals smaller than others]

flowers with two floral rings, and with each petal distinct from the others

flowers regular in shape

stamens usually separate or partly so, not in a column; NOT [stamens numerous, united into a column]

stamens usually numerous; NOT [stamens 5 or 10]

ovary of one or more carpels, either separate or enclosed by a fleshy receptacle; NOT [ovary of 5 united carpels]