Silver-leaved Cinquefoil, Himalayan Cinquefoil

About Silver-leaved Cinquefoil, Himalayan Cinquefoil

Potentilla argyrophylla is a perennial herb of 40–60 cm, unmistakeable for the silver sheen of its densely white-woolly leaves. Each leaf is three-parted (trifoliolate); the basal leaves may reach 45 cm including their long petiole, while the smaller upper leaves clasp the flowering stem in more slender, lanceolate form.The flowers are bright yellow, 2–3 cm across, often carrying a subtle fluorescence in bright sun. Held singly or in loose clusters on stalks 2–5 cm long, each has five (very occasionally six) obcordate petals, notched at the tip and marked with fine branched veins. Twenty stamens sit around a sub-terminal style; the five sepals are ovate, hairy, and acute at the tip.It thrives from the tree-line meadows well up into the true alpine, growing on rocky slopes, glacial moraines and the springy turf of upper valley pastures where few other flowering plants persist.

Habitat

Alpine meadows, rocky slopes and glacial moraines.

Uses & folklore

In Ladakh, a decoction of the flowers combined with other ingredients is a traditional remedy for chest pain and cardiac discomfort. In Nepal, a paste made from the roots is applied for relief from toothache. The Sanskrit-derived name Vajradanti — "diamond tooth" — points to the plant's long standing in the Ayurvedic tradition of tooth-strengthening herbs.

What the name means

Potentilla is Latin for "little powerful one", after the medicinal potency ascribed to the genus. The species name argyrophylla is Greek — argyros (silver) + phyllon (leaf) — for the silvery-white felt that covers the foliage.

Don't confuse it with

Potentilla atrosanguinea (sno 16) is the dark blood-red sibling of this species — identical in habit, silvery leaf-felt and altitude, differing only in flower colour. Some taxonomists merge the two under P. atrosanguinea. Potentilla rigida (sno 81) is stiffer and lacks the silvery leaf underside.