Potentilla norvegica aka Rough Cinquefoil

Potentilla norvegica is also known as Norwegian cinquefoil. It belongs to Rosaceae, the rose family. Its native range spans cold parts of the Northern Hemisphere. These include subarctic lands and subalpine zones below the tree line. Records cover northern Asia and much of North America. They include parts of Russia, northern Mongolia, Canada, and the United States. The RHS lists it as non-native in Britain and Ireland. In England, it grows on waste ground, mostly in the southeast. This setting differs from its native cold-climate range.

This small herb grows to about 1 foot (0.3 metres). Its life span can take more than one form. It may be an annual and live for one year. It may be a biennial, with a two-year life span. Or it may be a short-lived perennial, living for several years. Plants bloom from June to September. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects pollinate the flowers. The plant is self-fertile, so it can set seed by itself. The supplied species evidence gives no leaf shape or fruit details. It gives no mature spread for plants grown in gardens.

Choose moist soil that drains well for garden use. A loam in full sun suits this plant well. It also copes with light shade, including woods with light shade. It can grow in sand and clay soils too. It prefers alkaline soil but accepts neutral or slightly acid ground. Plants For A Future calls it easy to grow. That source lists USDA zones 3–7 and UK zone 3. The UK zone is not an RHS H-rating. The source also lists beds used to grow plants as a setting.

Raise new plants from seed or by division, splitting grown plants. Sow seed in a cold frame in early spring or autumn. Move each seedling to its own pot once you can handle it. Keep them in a greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, once frost risk passes. Split well-grown plants in spring. Large pieces can go straight to their final growing sites. Keep small pieces in pots with light shade until roots grow well. Then plant them out in late spring or early summer.

Plants For A Future lists no known food or other practical uses. It reports no known hazards, but this does not confirm safety through tests. The supplied evidence gives no pest or disease details for this species. It does not show that the plant is safe for pets. The source page gives medicinal accounts for a named subspecies. Those accounts do not show medicinal uses for the species as a whole.