Distribution: Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, but not in Yukon Territory, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, trails, and disturbed ground.
Flowers: June-August
Origin: Introduced
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, moths, wasps
Hairy perennial from woody base but without rhizomes, the few stems erect, branched, very leafy, 3-8 dm. tall; cauline leaves often appressed to stem by erect petioles.
Leaves 5-7 palmately divided, the leaflets oblanceolate, strongly veined, 3-7 cm. long, serrate nearly halfway to the mid-vein; stipules 1-2 cm. long, lanceolate, laciniate above.
Inflorescence many-flowered, flat-topped, leafy-bracteate; calyx cup-shaped, up to 12 mm. broad, the 5 lobes strongly veined, pointed, 5-9 mm. long; petals 5, yellow, obovate, with a shallow notch at the tip, up to 3 mm. longer than the sepals; stamens usually 25; pistils numerous, style sub-terminal.
Achene strongly veined, brownish-purple, 1 mm. long.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Potentilla recta in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Potentilla recta checklist entry
OregonFlora: Potentilla recta information
E-Flora BC: Potentilla recta atlas page
CalPhotos: Potentilla recta photos