General:
Perennial herb from a short stout rhizome and branched stem-base; stems slender, usually several, tufted, spreading to erect, 10-40 cm tall, smooth toward the base, appressed-hairy above.

Leaves:
Basal leaves long-stalked, palmately or pinnately compound; leaflets 5 to 7, oblong-lanceolate to egg-shaped, 1-3 (5) cm long, strongly toothed mostly above the middle, greenish or often glaucous blue-green and smooth to slightly hairy on the upper surface, generally appressed-hairy beneath; stem leaves alternate, 1 or 2.

Flowers:
Inflorescence an open terminal cluster of few to several (less than 20) stalked flowers; corollas yellow, bowl-shaped, the petals 5, heart-shaped, 5-10 mm long, shallowly notched at the tip; calyces silky-long-hairy, 5-lobed, the lobes lance-triangular, 4-7 mm long, alternating with 5 shorter, narrowly lanceolate bractlets; ovaries superior; stamens 20.

Fruits:
Achenes, numerous, clustered, lopsided-egg-shaped, about 1.5 mm long, brown, smooth to faintly net-veined.

Notes:
Two varieties occur in BC. These varieties appear to hybridize freely in SE BC, where numerous intermediates occur.

1. Leaves primarily palmately compound; leaflets deeply toothed; the common variety...................... var. diversifolia

1. Leaves more or less pinnately compound; leaflets dissected to base; plants of SE and SC BC, rare....................... var. perdissecta (Rydb.) C.L. Hitchc.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Potentilla diversifolia Lehm.