Creeping cinquefoil
Potentilla reptans
Family: Rosaceae
What it is like
A creeping herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The roots are much branched. They have tuberous roots. There are stolons or runners 20-100 cm long. These root at the nodes. The leaves near the roots have 5 divisions at the end of the leaves.
There are about 500 Potentilla species. It is used in medicine.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. In China it grows on meadows and mountain slopes between 300-3500 m altitude. It grows in wetlands. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Central Asia, China, Europe, Greece, India, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Siberia, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Leaves, rhizome
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Plazeči petoprstnik, Pu fu wei ling cai