Scarlet Cinquefoil (Potentilla Thurberi ‘Monarch’s Velvet’)

Features and Characteristics

Potentilla thurberi is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial that is native to coniferous forests, stream banks and moist meadows in Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. It typically grows to 1-5’ tall and features red flowers and palmate compound foliage. It typically forms a compact sprawling foliage mound with erect flowering stems rising to as much as 30” tall. Rose-red to dark-red, cup-shaped flowers bloom June to August with some sporadic continued bloom to frost in some climates. Flowers darken toward the base of the petals to a blackish-red. Stems are clad with palmate, compound leaves, with each leaf having 5-7 toothed ovate to oblanceolate leaflets (each to 1-2” long). Species plants are commonly called red cinquefoil, scarlet cinquefoil or Thurber’s cinquefoil.

Genus name from Latin potens meaning powerful is in reference to the reputed medicinal properties of the plant.

Cinquefoil means five-leaved in reference to the foliage.

‘Monarch’s Velvet’ flowers are a deeper red than those of species plants.