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Close-up of the cheerful yellow blooms of Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis). One of 100+ species of Pacific Northwest native plants available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Attractive leaves of Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis). One of 100+ species of Pacific Northwest native plants available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Attractive leaves of Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis). One of 100+ species of Pacific Northwest native plants available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.

Slender Cinquefoil

Potentilla gracilis

Slender cinquefoil, also known as graceful cinquefoil, is a sweet and long-lived perennial with cheerful pale to yellow, five-petaled flowers that are an important source of nectar for small pollinators who lack the girth to open more complicated flowers. Attractive, sharply-divided, semi-evergreen foliage, with diagnostic silvery-white undersides, sprawls gracefully from its woody crown and hosts many native butterflies. 

  • Plant type/canopy layer: deciduous, perennial, herbaceous plant
  • Size at maturity: generally up to 24" high, 12-24" wide
  • Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
  • Moisture requirements: moist soil
  • Bloom time: May - Aug
  • Growth rate/ease: medium growth rate, easy to grow
  • Wildlife support: flowers attract and provide nectar to adult butterflies, bees, other insect pollinators and syrphid flies; overall plant is a caterpillar host and larval food source for native moths and butterflies including the two-banded checkered skipper
  • Native habitat/range: common in meadows, prairies, open forests, roadsides, and shrub-steppe at low to alpine elevations. Many varieties of this species are found across western North America. A technical key is usually required to tell them apart. Portland Plant List - yes.
  • Special features & uses: deer resistant; evergreen; landscape uses include pollinator gardens, meadowscapes, and woodland garden edges

Gardening with Slender Cinquefoil: This adorable cinquefoil prefers full sun to partial shade with seasonally wet to moist soils that are well-drained and rich with organic matter. If planted in drier or more exposed locations, it may require infrequent, but deep supplemental water during the peak of the summer drought. Companion plants include ash and cascara trees, and other moisture-loving wildflowers like blue-eyed grass, lupine, and Oregon iris.


Photo Credit 1: Willamette Wildlings

Photo Credit 2, 3: Nikkie West, Sparrowhawk Native Plants

Customer Reviews

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J
Jess E
She's tall!

I have some slender cinquefoil plants near a pathway, full sun, relatively dry soil that I supplement with water once a week during summer and they are very happy! The two I planted last year are blooming like crazy this year (mostly gone by now but still putting out a few fresh blooms). The plants I planted this spring have lovely foliage but no blooms this year. I only wish I'd planted them a bit farther back from the pathway, and with some other plants to prop them up a bit as the tall stems tend to lean over.

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Wow - so gorgeous! I love how these natives take on such a different character in well-loved gardens. I have a couple that only get morning sun, are in pretty weak soil, and get almost no water (maybe once every three weeks) and I'm always so impressed with how resilient they are. But they are certainly nowhere near as tall and bloom-a-licious as yours!