Cinquefoil, Shrubby - Pentaphylloides floribunda

A small shrub generally 0.25 to 0.75 meters (1 to 2.5 feet) tall; branches with brownish shredding bark and hairy young twigs; leaves are leathery, pinnate with 3−7 leaflets, silky above and silky to whitish or greenish below; flowers yellow, axillary in small loose cymes. Habitat is generally moist early and dry later in the growing season in open valleys from mid to high elevations. Soils vary from clay loams to sandy loams and are fairly well developed with neutral to slightly acid pH. Seed matures from July through September, dry seed stored at 1 to 5°C (34 to 41°F) is said to retain viability for up to 5 years; seed will generally germinate well without pretreatment, although some recommendations include a 60 day cold stratification at 1°C (34°F).

Greenhouse asexual propagation is by softwood cuttings taken in July and treated with 1,000 parts per million IBA, in a 1:1, peat:perlite or sand media under mist greenhouse conditions; rooting occurs in 3 to 4 weeks; reduce watering once the cuttings have rooted. Transplant seedlings at one to two years of age.

Field propagation by dormant unrooted hardwood cuttings is rarely successful.

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Last Modified: 07/05/2007