Dasiphora is a small genus of shrubs in the rose family (Rosaceae), order Rosales, native to temperate Asia. Its best-known and most widespread member, Dasiphora fruticosa — shrubby cinquefoil — extends across the entire cool temperate Northern Hemisphere, while the genus's other species are concentrated in Central Asia, the Himalaya, Siberia, and China.
The genus was historically treated as part of Potentilla (as Potentilla sect. Rhopalostylae), and many of its species are still widely known and cultivated under Potentilla names, such as Potentilla fruticosa, P. glabra, P. davurica, and P. parvifolia. Genetic evidence has since shown Dasiphora to be a distinct lineage separate from Potentilla, and Plants of the World Online currently accepts around a dozen species in the genus, while GBIF's backbone carries a broader set of names reflecting ongoing synonymy differences between databases.
Like other cinquefoils, Dasiphora leaves are pinnately divided, typically into five leaflets (occasionally three or seven) — the arrangement behind the common name "cinquefoil," from the French cinque feuilles, "five leaves." Species are low, woody shrubs, and D. fruticosa in particular is a familiar hardy garden shrub valued for its long summer flowering season.
Etymology
The common name "cinquefoil," applied to Dasiphora and related genera, comes from the French cinque feuilles ("five leaves"), referring to the plant's leaves, which are typically divided into five pinnately arranged leaflets.
Distribution
Dasiphora is native to Asia. Its most widespread species, D. fruticosa (shrubby cinquefoil), ranges across the entire cool temperate Northern Hemisphere, while other species are more narrowly distributed across Central Asia, the Himalaya, Siberia, and China.
Taxonomy Notes
Dasiphora was formerly treated within Potentilla (as Potentilla sect. Rhopalostylae) but genetic evidence has shown it to be a distinct genus. Plants of the World Online accepts around 11 species, while GBIF's backbone lists 26 descendant names, reflecting differing treatment of synonyms between the two databases. Potentilla bifurca and P. imbricata, included in this group by the Flora of China, remain without published combinations in Dasiphora since they are not shrubs.
