Flower Side, Sepal

Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park
18-June-2006

Note that the key to the species in Flora of Alberta requires both of the following somewhat contradictory attributes:

	petals obscure, shorter than sepals; NOT [petals evident, longer than sepals]
	petals almost equaling sepals; NOT [petals about half as long as sepals]

The key to the genera in the same flora requires:

petals usually longer than the sepals; NOT [petals small, little if any longer than the sepals]

Norvegica:  Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF) and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this species.   plant herb-like, not woody based; NOT [plant shrubby or with woody bases] annual or biennial plant without perennial rootstocks; NOT [perennial plant with stout rootstocks, often showing old bases of leaves] plants of drier habitats; NOT [a plant of aquatic and marshy habitats] plant without runners; NOT [low creeping plant with runners] plants taller, generally 20-60 cm; NOT [plants generally 5-10 cm tall] leaves with scattered appressed strigose hairs above; NOT [leaves glabrous above] lower leaf-surface glabrous to variously pubescent, generally sparsely, but not tomentose; NOT [lower leaf-surface densely white tomentose] basal leaves trifoliolate; NOT [basal leaves digitate with 5-9 divisions], NOT [basal leaves pinnate] inflorescence many-flowered and leafy flowers few-many, in cymes, if solitary plants dwarf and caespitose; NOT [flowers solitary on naked peduncles, mostly from the nodes of stolons] (FOA) flowers borne in terminal cymes and not singly; NOT [flowers singly on long stalks from base of plant] (BF) flowers yellow; NOT [flowers white or reddish purple] petals obscure, shorter than sepals; NOT [petals evident, longer than sepals] (FOA) petals almost equaling sepals; NOT [petals about half as long as sepals] (FOA) stamens 15-20; NOT [stamens 5-15] achenes 0.8-1.3 mm long; NOT [achenes 0.5-0.8 mm long] achenes ribbed; NOT [achenes smooth] achenes generally smooth; NOT [achenes hairy]

 

Potentilla: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.  The answers do not apply to all species of Potentilla found on the Canadian prairies, but they do apply to P. norvegica. herbs, or with a woody base and otherwise herbaceous; NOT [shrubs or trees] (FOA)   stolons generally absent; NOT [plants with stolons] (FOA) leaves compound; NOT [leaves simple, usually toothed] (FOA) leaves compound; NOT [leaves much dissected into linear lobes] (BF) basal leaves with 3 leaflets; NOT [basal leaves with more than 3 leaflets] (FOA) calyx-bractlets present (plant appears to have 10 sepals); NOT [calyx-bractlets lacking] (FOA) hypanthium LACKING hooked prickles (FOA) petals usually longer than the sepals; NOT [petals small, little if any longer than the sepals] (FOA) petals yellow stamens 10-many; NOT [stamens 5] (FOA) style much shorter than the achene, often deciduous; NOT [style much longer than the achene, hooked or plumose] (BF) carpels 10-many; NOT [carpels 5-20], NOT [carpels 2]  carpels becoming achenes; NOT [carpels becoming drupelets (raspberry-like)] (FOA) receptacle NOT fleshy in fruit, NOT a strawberry (FOA)

Rosaceae:  Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family.  The answers do not apply to all genera of Rosaceae found on the Canadian prairies, but they do apply to Potentilla. 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] flowers with two floral rings, and with each petal distinct from the others calyx regular; NOT [calyx irregular, some sepals smaller than the others] flowers regular in shape; NOT [flowers irregular 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]