Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris)

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −40 °C

Cultivation

Requires a moist to wet soil, preferably on the acid side. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c. A rapidly spreading plant, capable of forming clumps several metres across. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

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.

Edible uses

The dried leaves are a tea substitute.

Medicinal uses

The root is astringent. A decoction has been used in the treatment of dysentery and stomach cramps.

Material uses

A red dye is obtained from the flowers. Tannin is obtained from the root.

Habitat

Marshes, bogs, acid fens and wet heaths.

Native range

Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to the Pyrenees, temperate Asia and Japan.