Potentilla arguta (Prairie Cinquefoil)
Potentilla arguta (Prairie Cinquefoil)
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$30 minimum per species for seed.
$30 minimum per species for seed.
Each species requires a minimum of $30 of seed to proceed with checkout.
Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) refers to the percentage of a seed lot that consists of the desired species and is viable (capable of germination).
Here's why PLS is crucial for native seeds:
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Accurate Planting:
- PLS helps determine the actual number of viable seeds in a given weight or volume of seed.
- This ensures you plant the correct amount of seed to achieve the desired density and success rate.
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Cost-Effectiveness:
- By knowing the PLS, you can avoid overspending on seed that may not germinate.
- This is especially important for native seeds, which can be more expensive than some cultivated varieties.
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Weed Control:
- PLS helps minimize the presence of weed seeds within the seed lot.
- This reduces competition for resources and ensures the successful establishment of the desired native plants.
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Ecological Restoration:
- Using high-quality native seeds with a high PLS is essential for successful ecological restoration projects.
- It helps to re-establish diverse and resilient plant communities that support local wildlife.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Prairie cinquefoil brings clusters of small cream to pale-yellow flowers above divided foliage. Its upright flowering stems add a fine-textured layer among prairie plants. The botanical name Drymocallis arguta is also used for this species.
Choose the available format and quantity from the product options.
Plant specifications
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Mesic to dry |
| Height | Plant size varies; the Montana account reports stems about 10–31 inches tall. |
| Bloom season | Mid-summer |
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Drymocallis arguta |
|---|---|
| Other common names | prairie cinquefoil |
| Plant family | Rosaceae |
Plant characteristics
Potentilla arguta (Prairie Cinquefoil) delicate and distinguished cream-colored flowers atop a 1-1.5' flower stalk. Add this plant for mid to late summer pop and bloom diversity in your prairie garden. A very easy to grow plant that is quite tolerant of many soil types, even poor soils, as long as they are well drained.
Planning your planting
Match drainage, light and available space to this plant. The records below describe regional flower visits; they do not predict the insects at an individual garden.
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Illinois plant communities
Mesic black-soil prairie — central Illinois
Recorded at Prospect Cemetery Prairie (Ford County), Weston Cemetery Prairie (McLean County). INHS identifies these sites as remnants of this community.
Selected native plants from the same remnant records:
- Sorghastrum nutans
- Andropogon gerardii
- Sporobolus heterolepis
- Eryngium yuccifolium
- Silphium laciniatum
- Parthenium integrifolium
These inventories include edges and disturbed patches. Shared remnant records do not establish that every plant grows together in one microsite.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 10 |
|---|---|
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Arkansas; Colorado; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Dakota; Ohio; Pennsylvania; South Dakota; Tennessee; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming |
| County nativity | Cook County, Illinois — native-remnant population documented in the 2000 survey. Partial county coverage; other counties have not yet been assessed here. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Bees & other flower visitors
USGS observations recorded the following insects visiting flowers of this plant in North Dakota. The records describe visits, without distinguishing pollen collection from nectar feeding or measuring successful pollination. They do not establish local occurrence, exclusive dependence, or a larval-host relationship.
Bees
- Andrena commoda — North Dakota; 2013.
- Andrena miranda — North Dakota; 2013.
- Ceratina dupla — North Dakota; 2015.
- Hylaeus affinis — North Dakota; 2015.
- Hylaeus annulatus — North Dakota; 2013.
- Lasioglossum sp. (genus only) — North Dakota; 2013.
- Protandrena sp. (genus only) — North Dakota; 2013.
Other flower visitors
- Sphaerophoria abbreviata/asymmetrica/philanthus (unresolved species group) — North Dakota; 2015.
- Sphaerophoria philanthus — North Dakota; 2015.
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Prairie Cinquefoil?
Potentilla arguta performs best in full sun with dry to dry-mesic (sand & gravel hill prairies) conditions. It thrives in authentic regional soil types ranging from sandy loam to well-drained clay loams.
How do I germinate and establish Prairie Cinquefoil from seed?
Seed of Potentilla arguta has a germination code of Code A (no pre-treatment required). Seeds can be sown directly in spring into warm, prepared soil.
Is Prairie Cinquefoil deer and herbivore resistant?
Yes. Native plants adapted to Midwestern habitats naturally produce protective secondary compounds and fibrous textures that make them highly resistant to deer, rabbits, and other grazing herbivores.
When should I expect Prairie Cinquefoil to emerge and bloom?
Established plants break dormancy in spring as soil temperatures warm, developing vigorous foliage before blooming in their seasonal window to provide vital nectar when native pollinators need it most.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Illinois community evidence: INHS — three mesic black-soil prairie remnants, compiled from Shildneck, Robertson and Taft records. Source native flags and named sites support the selected remnant records. Full mixed inventories are retained in the research database; source C-values are not substituted for the Flora benchmark.
Appearance and growing guidance: Montana Natural Heritage Program. Selected botanical facts checked 7 September 2026 and described in original wording by Natural Communities. Earlier nursery observations are retained; size and flowering time can vary by site.
Chicago assessment: Wilhelm & Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region, via Universal FQA database 80 (Kenneth Johnson, 2018), under Drymocallis arguta.
State nativity: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 4 June 2026 release, under Drymocallis arguta. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; CC BY 3.0. Native records selected, excluding introduced, doubtful and extinct records. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data; no endorsement is implied. State nativity is separate from Chicago-region nativity, county occurrence and the origin of the stock offered for sale.
Source: Otto, C., Bryant, R. & Euliss, N.H. Jr. (2020), The U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Library Dataset, observations from 2012–2017. USGS public-domain federal data; selected and grouped by Natural Communities. This page uses 12 source records. Names retain the source identification level; “sp.” does not name a particular species. Some visits were observed without retaining specimens.
C-value source: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), Universal FQA database 80. Matched source taxon: Drymocallis arguta. Exact.
Sources checked September 5, 2026. Regional assessments and growing observations apply to their stated settings. Unverified fields are omitted; missing information does not mean an ecological relationship is absent.
- Illinois Wildflowers — John Hilty. Limited botanical facts presented in Natural Communities’ own wording. Source-specific observations retain their stated scope; photographs, original descriptive prose and compiled relationship tables are excluded. Supports: Bloom Season; Drought Tolerance; Height; Opening botanical description; Primary Native Habitats; Root Architecture & Depth; Soil Moisture Range; Spread Habit; Sun Exposure; Sunlight Exposure.
- Universal FQA — Flora-linked Chicago database 80. Taxonomic names, family and regional nativity originally checked against Kenneth Johnson’s Flora-linked database 80 (2018), citing Wilhelm & Rericha (2017). Limited factual identification only; the C-value follows this Flora-linked database wherever an exact or documented synonym match is available. Supports: Alternate Common Names; Botanical Name; Chicago-region native status; Plant Family.
- USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
- USACE National Wetland Plant List 2022 — Midwest. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2022 National Wetland Plant List, Midwest region; effective February 13, 2024. Federal data. Supports: Wetland Indicator Status.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
The linked Illinois plant relationships were reconciled with INHS-hosted source inventories on September 6, 2026. Same-remnant pairs were calculated from shared named-site occurrences and organized for this catalog; they are not copied narrative descriptions or proof of microsite compatibility.
County-native population evidence: Shouba and Murray, Plant Survey of Wolf Road Prairie, 2000 survey, Table 4. The report records a positive population under Potentilla arguta. Kew POWO verifies its synonym relationship to the catalog taxon; taxonomic facts © Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, CC BY 3.0. Selected locality and year facts independently organized. Historical native-remnant evidence; current persistence, sale-stock origin and complete county range have not been assessed.
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories
- Retail - We only offer shipping & shipping is calculated at check out*
- We do not offer retail pick up
- Wholesale - Delivery is customized based on order size and location
- Wholesale - Pickup is free
Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
- Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
- If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready. In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments
- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
- Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
- Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.
Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
- Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
- Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
- Water your plants
- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
- If you cannot install your plants immediately
- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
There is a minimum order requirement of $30 for each seed species. Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance. We hope you find it helpful. If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.
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