''Potentilla micrantha'', common name pink barren strawberry, is a species of

cinquefoil ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. Potentillas may also be called cinquefoils in English, but they have also been called five fin ...

belonging to the family

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

Etymology

The species' name ''micrantha'' means ''with little flowers'' and comes from Greek ''micro'' (small) and ''anthos'' (flower).Den Virtuella Floran - Naturhistoriska riksmuseet 2000

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs mainly in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. It ranges from the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

through

southern Europe Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...

to the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. It is mainly widespread in the mountains of Southern Europe, with some short-range areas of occurrence in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

(Germany, Switzerland), the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It grows wild in mountains and hills grasslands, in not too thick woods and bushy areas, but also in open environments, at an elevation up to above sea level.

Description

''Potentilla micrantha'' has a thin, short and densely pubescent stem, that can reach a height of up to , with no runners (non -

stoloniferous In biology, a stolon ( from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal stolons ar ...

). The small perennial herb has hairy-silky leaves, and a thick stump. It shows elliptical ternate small leaves with 6-11 teeth on the edge. These leaves are gray-green on both sides, with straight hairs. Potentilla micrantha resembles wild strawberries. Flowers are small with white or rarely pale pink petals. The petals are up to 3 mm wide. The

calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...

protrudes from the corolla, that has a diameter of 7–10 mm. A distinctive feature is the beetroot color of the inside calyx. The species is quite similar to ''

Potentilla sterilis ''Potentilla sterilis'', also called strawberryleaf cinquefoil or barren strawberry, is a perennial herbaceous species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It is native to Europe. Description The plant looks rather like wild woodla ...

''.Tela Botanica

Biology

This species blossoms usually from April to May, sometimes already in March. Flowering time in Germany and Switzerland is from March to May. When the flowers open, the

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s move towards the centre and arrange in a conical structure, where the

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s at the tip surround the stigmas. This structure involves an efficient

autogamy Autogamy or self-fertilization refers to the Cell fusion, fusion of two gametes that come from one individual. Autogamy is predominantly observed in the form of self-pollination, a Reproduction, reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering pl ...

mechanism, that guarantees the self-fertilization.A. Guillen, E. Rico, E. Castroviej
Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of Potentilla (Rosaceae)
2005 This plant reproduces by seeds.

Gallery

Potentilla micrantha 2017-09-26 4838.jpg, Plant Potentilla micrantha (5650812593).jpg, Plant with flowers Rosaceae - Potentilla micrantha.JPG, Detail of leaves Potentilla micrantha Sturm24.jpg, Illustration from Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen

References

External links

The Plant List

Tropicos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11818827 micrantha Flora of Europe Flora of North Africa Flora of Western Asia