Cottam's Cinquefoil
Potentilla cottamii
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G2
State (S-rank): S2
Utah Wildlife Action Plan status
- SGCN
External links
General information
Potentilla cottamii can be found in the Raft River, Deep Creek, and Stansbury Mountains in Box Elder, Juab, and Tooele Counties, Utah; as well as Pilot Range in Elko County, Nevada. It grows in cracks and crevices on quartzite cliffs at elevations 7,500 to 10,400 feet. The populations found usually occur in small numbers and are threatened by recreation, non-native mountain goats, and climate change. Potentilla cottamii is a mat-forming, perennial herb with not especially showy flowers. It blooms June through August.
Description
Potentilla cottamii can be found in the Raft River, Deep Creek, and Stansbury Mountains in Box Elder, Juab, and Tooele Counties, Utah; as well as Pilot Range in Elko County, Nevada. It grows in cracks and crevices on quartzite cliffs at elevations 7,500 to 10,400 feet. The populations found usually occur in small numbers and are threatened by recreation, non-native mountain goats, and climate change. Potentilla cottamii is a mat-forming, perennial herb with not especially showy flowers. It blooms June through August.
Phenology
Flowers late June to early August.
Diagnostic characteristics
P. cottamii is closely related to P. nivea, but can be differentiated by the leaves. P. cottamii has leaves that are green and villous to glabrescent with non-glandular hairs and finely puberulent with sessile or short-stalked glandular hairs. P nivea has leaves that are densely white-tomentose on the underside.
Species range
Holmgren (1987) reported P. cottamii as "common" at its type locality near the summit of Pilot Peak, Elko Co., Nevada, elev. 10,400 feet. Holmgren (1987) and Franklin (1994) also provided a good discussion of the questionable record from the Utah portion of the Pilot Range (based on Cottam 4538, BRY). Acc. Franklin (1994), the species is known in the Raft River Mtns. (Box Elder Co.) from three small occurrences over an elevation range from 8700 to 9740 feet, on outcrops of Precambrian rock (Upper Narrows Schist and Elba Quartzite). Dr. Noel Holmgren (NY) has confirmed the identification of two 1996 collections from the Deep Creek Mtns., Juab Co. (Ibapah Azimuth peak, elev. 11,900 ft.; Stone 1927, NY) and the Stansbury Mtns., Tooele Co. (Franklin 8140, NY). Dr. Robert Holland (1998, pers. comm.) did not find any new locations for P. cottamii during a 1996 survey in the mtns. of northeastern Nevada.
Taxonomy
No, this species does not have taxonomic discrepancies