Potentilla (diversifolia)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Rosaceae
Family Common Name:	Rose family
Scientific Name:	Potentilla diversifolia Lehm. diversifolia Lehm.
Common Synonym:	Potentilla glaucophylla Lehm.
Common Name:	Diverse-leafed cinquefoil
Species Code:	POTDIV
Ecotype:	Subalpine meadows, Logan Pass, 2032m elev., Glacier National Park, Glacier Co., MT.
General Distribution:	P. diversifolia occurs in subalpine and alpine meadows from the Yukon to New Mexico, and in the Pacific Northwest south to Utah and Nevada.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	8 Months
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 3 cm, 4 to 6 true leaves.<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are hand collected in mid to late August when achenes are turn brown. Seeds are collected in paper baggs and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are cleaned using a hammermill, followed by an office clipper at NRCS. Seed longevity is at least 5 years at 3 to 5C with low relative humidity in sealed containers. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 2,200,000/kg % Purity: 100% % Germination: 90% to 98%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification, surface sown. Germination occurs in early spring under fluctuating temperatures.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are surface sown; needs light for germination. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled spaghnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification. Seeds are sown at the rate of 2 per cell. Seedlings germinate in spring under fluctuating outdoor temperatures and are grown under full sun exposure. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings appear to germinate very uniformly. Widely fluctuating temperatures during germination of this high elevation species may account for the higher fill rate of outdoor sown seed vs. no germination on greenhouse grown material. Seedlings are thinned at the true leaf stage.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Once seedlings are established, plants develop rapid shoot and root growth 2 to 4 weeks following germination. Plants are fertilized with 20-20-20 liquid NPK at 100 ppm bi-weekly during the growing season. Plants quickly fill conetainers and are root-tight in 4 to 8 weeks following germination. Plants are ready for outplanting by late summer.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	8 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm in early fall; pots are leached with water, irrigation is gradually reduced through September and October.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 7.5 months Harvest Date: July and August Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	P. diversifolia is one of the most rapidly growing forbs produced at the nursery. Plants were fully root tight in 4 weeks following germination, and filled 800 ml (4.5 inch) containers 2 weeks after uppotting. Plants were flowering 1 year following germination. Seed germination rates were poor in the greenhouse. This species may be dependent on cooler, fluctuating temperatures during germination. Studies conducted by Chambers on this species indicate the need for cold, moist stratification and fluctuating temperatures. There was a higher rate of germination with seed that was surface sown than seeds covered with medium. There are 3 botanical varieties: diversifolia, multisecta, and perdissecta.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1973. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, Second Edition, Deno, Norman, published 1993. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, National Park Service, Hassell, Wendel, April1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998. 1999 Revegetation Monitoring Report, Glacier National Park, Asebrook, J. and Brenneman, B., unpublished. ÿ

Citation:

Evans, Jeff. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Potentilla diversifolia Lehm. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.