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Common Name: Rough-Fruited Cinquefoil

General Information

Potentilla recta is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

C. and S. Europe to W. Asia. More or less naturalized in Britain. Casual in Eastern N. America.

Habitat

More or less naturalized in waste or grassy places in Britain[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade[]. Prefers an acid soil[]. Plants produce more foliage but flower less freely when grown in a rich soil[].
Hardy to about -25°c[].
There is at least one named variety selected for its ornamental value[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. The unripe fruit is almost as pleasant as the fully ripe fruit[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is astringent[]. A poultice of the pounded leaves and stems has been applied to open sores and wounds[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.