Pronounced: KOM-ar-um puh-LUS-tree (botanical Latin guide)
A sprawling wetland perennial with dark reddish flowers and sharply toothed compound leaves.
Photograph by Where’s Wildlife. Tap to browse the photos.
Family: Rosaceae
Bloom: June–August in the Upper Midwest
Height: Usually 1–2 feet; stems may sprawl farther
Habitat: Marshes, wet ditches, boggy margins and shallow water
Other common names: Purple Marshlocks · Purple Cinquefoil
Scientific synonyms: Potentilla palustris
Bloom timing and height vary by location.
01 · Dark maroon flowers with a raised central cluster
02 · Pointed sepals noticeably longer than the narrow petals
03 · Compound leaves with toothed leaflets on spreading stems
Marshes, wet ditches, boggy margins and shallow water. Typical flowering season: June–August in the Upper Midwest.
Use a close flower view plus a separate photograph of the compound leaves.
Spreading stems help this plant occupy saturated ground and shallow wetland edges.
The large pointed parts that give the flower its star shape are sepals. The petals are much smaller.
Photograph the toothed leaflet margins and how the leaflets attach, as well as the flower.
The deep red flower color is unusual among plants commonly called cinquefoils.
Cool and temperate regions across the Northern Hemisphere, including much of northern North America.
Observation maps show reported sightings, not the complete native range. Some recorded populations may be historical.
