Potentilla biflora
Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Mag. Neuesten Entdeck. Gesammten Naturk. 7: 297. 1816.
Basal leaves: petiole 1–4 cm, long hairs absent or sparse, 1.5–2 mm, crisped hairs absent or sparse; leaflet lobes linear, 10–20 × 1–2 mm, surfaces with long hairs sparse or absent. Flowers: epicalyx bractlets oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, 2.5–4 × 0.4–1.3 mm; sepals 3.5–5 mm, apex acute to apiculate; petals 6–10 × 4–10 mm; filaments 2.8–4 mm, anthers 0.6 mm; carpels 15–25. Achenes 1.5–2 mm. 2n = 14.
Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Dryas fellfields, gravel terraces, well-drained soil, often with seasonal seepage, on calcareous substrates
Elevation: 0–2000 m
Distribution
B.C., N.W.T., Nunavut, Yukon, Alaska, Asia.
Discussion
In North America, Potentilla biflora is mostly Beringian, barely reaching northern British Columbia and western Northwest Territories, with one locality in Nunavut (southern Victoria Island). The amphi-Beringian range is strongly isolated from other Asian populations, the closest being in the Altai Mountains of south-central Siberia. Two varieties are accepted in China (Li C. L. et al. 2003c), with North American plants falling in var. biflora.
Selected References
None.