The way I discovered running five-fingers (commonly called dwarf cinquefoil, but I like this other common name better), was while I was weeding Potentilla indica. Yes, it’s in the same genus, except Potentilla indica, also known as mock strawberry, is an exotic weed. I don’t know if it’s officially considered invasive, but it’s a little too established to my liking. Here I was plucking mock strawberry crowns one by one, when suddenly I grabbed one that had five leaves, not three.
Five leaves? Wait, this isn’t Potentilla indica, that’s only got three. What is it?
Running five-fingers
The reason I like this common name better than the other, because a common name should feel relevant to common folk. Cinquefoil is a weird hybridized word combining a lot of French with a bit of Latin meaning five leaves. Those languages are not all that common here, especially Latin. Now, running five-fingers, it’s got five fingers (leaves) and it runs, meaning it spreads by runners. That’s much easier to remember.
I still prefer to refer to plants primarily by their botanical names, because I’ve been burned enough times buying plants I thought were native, but weren’t. There are lots of native plants that have exotic counterparts. There are also a lot of plants that aren’t related that share common names. I don’t think this one’s confused with anything else.
But can you run on running five-fingers?
Absolutely. Once I learned about this plant, I started noticing it everywhere. Either that, or it just happened to feel more welcome and started spreading. It’s actually become one of the major components of my native lawn. There are parts of the yard that are mostly covered with this plant, and it’s been mowed over, stepped on, biked on, scootered, wheelbarrowed, etc. It’s been put through so much abuse, survived droughts, and all it does is keep spreading.
The nice thing about this is that it’s considerate enough to keep its runners close to the ground. Unlike Japanese honeysuckle (something I not-so-affectionally refer to as tripwire, which should be its common name), I have yet to trip over any running five-fingers. I haven’t heard any complaints from the family, either.
Is it evergreen?
It’s not really what I’d consider evergreen. There are always a few tiny leaves present, because as soon as it’s even a hair above freezing, it’s going to try to leaf out. Any amount of leaf cover keeps it warm enough to persist. All that said, as soon as spring is here, the lawn is covered in a blanket of five-leaved hands. It’ll be even better when they’re all blooming, covering the lawn in golden flowers. If you’ve ever quickly doodled a simple flower with five rounded petals surrounding a round center, that’s pretty much what these look like.
What does it like?
This plant is very easy to grow. There’s very little that running five-fingers cannot handle. I have this one growing in full sun and moist, full sun and dry, light shade and moist, light shade and dry. A few even grow in full shade. It also seems to tolerate occasional ponding.
Is running five-fingers a keystone species?
As far as I’m aware, it is not a keystone species, however it is a host for three pollen specialist bees. Andrena melanochroa (rose mining bee), Andrena ziziaeformis (golden alexanders mining bee, which also hosts on Zizia), and Panurginus potentillae all depend on running five-fingers pollen. It is also a larval host for the grizzled skipper, which is quite stunning when it comes to skippers.
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