Mineral Wildflower Festival

Technical Name

• Drymocallis glandulosa (formerly classified as Potentilla glandulosa)

Informal Names

• Sticky cinquefoil

• Gland cinquefoil

• Sticky woodbeauty

• Nevada cinquefoil

Key Characteristics

• The Glandular Herbage: The defining physical trait is the dense coating of fine, sticky, gland-tipped hairs covering the stems, leaf surfaces, and flower buds. This gives the entire plant a slightly tacky, resinous texture when touched.

• The Buds and Calyces: Features small, teardrop-shaped flower buds that open into cream or soft pale-yellow blossoms. The true visual highlight of its reproductive branches is the robust, green, star-like outer cup (calyx) made of pointed sepals that often equal or exceed the delicate petals in length.

• Foliage: It produces a bushy mound of basal foliage with leaves that are pinnately divided into 5 to 9 neatly arranged, egg-shaped (ovate) leaflets. The margins of each leaflet are sharply and coarsely saw-toothed.

• Growth Habit: A resilient, upright perennial herb arising from a stout, woody root crown, sending up erect, branching stems that typically stand 1 to 2 feet high.

Notable Significance

• Insect Deterrent: The sticky, glandular fluid secreted by its hairs acts as a highly effective physical barrier. It deters crawling insects, thrips, and aphids from scaling the stem to consume the nutrient-rich flower buds or developing seeds.

• Seed and Rodent Buffet: The tiny, smooth seeds (achenes) that develop inside the papery dried calyces are a highly preferred, calorie-dense food source for native high-country mice, voles, and pocket gophers.

• Ethnobotanical History: Various Native American tribes traditionally utilized a decoction brewed from the entire plant as an herbal tonic, stimulant, or traditional wash to soothe external skin complaints.

Locations Found

• Habitat: Exceptionally versatile but prefers semi-dry to moist, well-drained locations. It populates open pine woodlands, gravelly hillsides, rocky mountain flats, transitioning meadow borders, and disturbed slopes.

• Elevation Range: A highly adaptable western native found across an enormous altitudinal range, from sea level up to subalpine heights of 11,000 feet. In the 96063 area, it is a very common understory resident weaving through the gravelly openings and forest edges of the southern Cascades.