Genus Cinquefoil (Potentilla)
Pink Family

Silver cinquefoil(Potentilla argentea L.J lives in open, dry sandy and rocky places, but can also grow in light, dry forests, especially pine forests. It forms thickets only in disturbed and exposed areas. It is a low (15-35 cm high) perennial herbaceous plant with a thick rhizome. The leaves are alternate, palmately dissected, covered below with thick white pubescence, the upper surface of the leaves is bright green, glabrous, but sometimes dull, grayish-pubescent.

Silver cinquefoil blooms from July to October with small yellow flowers collected in a complex paniculate inflorescence. The fruit is a multi-nut. The seeds ripen in August October.

Cinquefoil anseri(Potentilla anserina \j.) - coastal and meadow plant that prefers moist conditions. It grows in meadows, sparse forests, along river banks, near roads and residential areas. A plant with long, thin, creeping and rooting above-ground shoots. From the nodes of the shoots emerge 1-2 leaves and 1 long peduncle with one flower. Potentilla cinquefoil blooms from June to September with bright yellow flowers. The fruits ripen in July - October. Potentilla goose is a fodder plant for poultry.

The genus Potentilla (Potentilla alba L.) is entirely covered with appressed silky silvery hairs. The flowers are white, up to 3 cm in diameter, collected 2-5 in apical semi-umbrellas. The fruits are wrinkled, hairy nuts at the base. Norwegian cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica L.) has simple, usually erect stems with stiff, protruding hairs. The leaves are trifoliate, sometimes the lower ones are palmate. The calyx is hairy, the petals are small, equal or shorter than the sepals.

Cinquefoil creeping(Potentilla reptans L.) - distinguished by a woody black-brown rhizome and thin, creeping stems that take root at the nodes. The leaves are petiolate, five-fingered, with obovate, large-finger leaves. White cinquefoil with stitches. The flowers are golden-yellow, on long stalks with a subcup, sitting one at a time in the axils of the leaves.

It is important! Externally, the plant is used to gargle for throat illness, bleeding and weak gums, abrasions and ulcers of the tongue and oral mucosa. Crushed leaves are applied to purulent cuts and wounds to speed up their healing, and boiled herb is applied to the throat for colds. An infusion and decoction of the herb is drunk for inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney stones, for the treatment of dysentery, for rinsing the mouth with stomatitis, gingivitis, and sore throat.

Wash your face with a decoction to clear it of acne. Rhizomes are part of “stomach teas”. Cracks in the skin of the legs, arms, and lips are lubricated with ointment from the rhizome. In the food industry, the rhizome is part of the formulation of domestic spices for pickled fish products and drinks. The rhizome can be used for tanning leather and also used for dyeing fabrics. Cinquefoils are honey-bearing plants.

Cinquefoil prostrate(Potentilla humifusa Willd. ex Schlecht) is found on steppe slopes with humus-carbonate soil, in sandy steppes, in sparse pine forests, and in clearings. The height of the plant is 5-15 cm. The stem tubercles on which the hairs sit are not red, but whitish. The plant blooms in April - May with yellow flowers. The columns of fruitlets are of equal thickness along the entire length and are covered with papillae.

Sandy cinquefoil(Potentilla arenaria L.) grows in dry forests and on sandy soils. A perennial plant up to 15 cm high. The entire plant is ash-gray with stellate pubescence and almost erect hairs. Stem leaves are sessile, trifoliate, with oval stipules. The basal leaves are petiolate, serrate, with linear stipules. The leaves are cuneate-obovate, crenate-toothed upward. Blooms in April - June with yellow flowers. The fruit is a multi-nut.

Cinquefoil erecta(kalgan) (Potentilla erecta (L.) Raeusch.^ prefers open, damp places, the outskirts of swamps with poor soil. Found in swampy meadows, light forests, often birch forests, as well as in clearings, forest edges and clearings. The rhizome is pineal-shaped. Leaves three-, five-palmated, sessile. Blooms from mid-May to August.

This is interesting! Popular names for cinquefoil include toadgrass, toadgrass, mogina, five-leaved mighty, five-leaved liverwort, five-finger, five-leaved. The scientific name of the genus Potentilla comes from the Latin. potens - strong - and this corresponds to the healing properties of bloodroot.

It is important! The medicinal raw material is the entire cinquefoil plant, but especially the rhizome and roots, which contain up to 30% tannins, quinic and ascorbic acids, essential oil and other compounds. In folk medicine, cinquefoil is used as an astringent, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and wound-healing agent.

Lit.: / Chernyavskikh V.I., Degtyar O.V., Degtyar A.V., Dumacheva E.V. - Belgorod.

Cinquefoil is a flowering plant from the Rosaceae family. It has become widespread throughout the northern hemisphere. Especially in temperate climates. You can find cinquefoil on forest edges and near fresh water bodies. Its genus is very numerous and diverse. As a result of recent classification revisions, it has increased even further. Representatives are used as raw materials for medicines, for decorative decoration of the site and in cooking. The scientific name – Potentilla – can be translated as “strong, powerful”. This characterizes the ability to give vigor and energy.

Botanical characteristics

Cinquefoil is an annual or perennial plant in the form of a herbaceous shoot or subshrub. The rhizome is superficial, woody. The height of the vegetation ranges from 30 cm to 1.5 m. The shoots are erect, ascending or creeping. Upon contact with soil, roots quickly appear in the nodes. The petiolate leaves are bright green or grayish-green in color and have a pinnately dissected or palmate shape with finely toothed edges.

Small flowers are concentrated at the ends of the shoots in loose paniculate, corymbose or pseudoumbellate inflorescences. They can also grow singly on long erect peduncles. Flowering begins in May-June. Each corolla consists of 5 free petals and a large number of short stamens with large anthers in the center. Potentilla flowers are bisexual, their color is very diverse and includes shades of yellow, orange, pink, and white. Petals can be one-color or two-color.

Pollination occurs with the help of wind or insects. The fruits, in the form of small dark olive nuts with a smooth or wrinkled surface, ripen 3 weeks after pollination. They are grouped in groups of 10-80 in a hairy or smooth achene with dry, thin walls.

Types and decorative varieties

In total, there are more than 320 plant species in the cinquefoil genus. Only a few are used in culture.

The herbaceous plant reaches a height of 8-25 cm. Its thin short stems are hidden by long ascending leaves of a five-fingered shape. Narrow segments of foliage are bent along the central vein and are colored bluish-green. In May-June, single flowers with white wide petals appear. Later, ovoid hairy achenes mature.

The hardy, frost-resistant plant has spread throughout forests and forest-steppes from Western Europe to Central Asia. It is a dense shrub up to 150 cm high and up to 100 cm wide. Woody shoots are covered with flaking brown and grayish bark. The leaves are divided into 3-7 lanceolate-shaped segments with entire edges. Their color varies from light green to silver due to the thick pile. Single corollas or few-flowered inflorescences with golden petals bloom in June. The diameter of the flower is about 2 cm. Varieties:

• Abbotswood is a cushion-shaped bush up to 1 m in height with light green foliage and white racemose inflorescences;
• Goldfinger is a creeping shrub with a diameter of 1.5 m from June until the first frost, covered with large yellow flowers.

An herbaceous perennial with creeping shoots up to 80 cm long, it grows pinnately dissected openwork leaves. Segments with serrated edges have a smooth light green surface. On the reverse they are densely covered with silvery hair. The length of the lobe is 2-5 cm, and the width is 1-2 cm. Single yellow flowers on pedicels 5-15 cm long appear in early summer.

A perennial with a cylindrical woody rhizome grows erect branched shoots 15-50 cm long. At their base there is five-fingered foliage with wedge-shaped serrate lobes, and trifoliate sessile leaves grow on the stem. Single axillary flowers at the ends of the shoots are painted in a golden hue. They bloom in May-September.

A perennial grass 10-30 cm high, it has dense foliage (sessile or petiolate). The reverse side of the leaves and petioles are densely covered with white or silver felt pile. The foliage is divided into 3-7 segments and has a swollen surface between the veins. In June-July, loose corymbose inflorescences with small flowers appear. The rounded petals are colored light yellow.

Herbaceous perennial 30-50 cm high. Lives in the Himalayas and Nepal. The highly branched, erect stems are covered with palmate dark green leaves. From late June to August, single large (3 cm in diameter) flowers with obovate or heart-shaped petals, painted in various shades of pink, bloom at the tops of the shoots. Varieties:

• Roxana - salmon-orange flowers dotted with narrow dark stripes;
• Floris - the edges of the petals are coral, and at the base there is a dark purple spot.

Reproduction methods

Cinquefoil reproduces by seeds or vegetatively. Seed propagation is most effective for species plants, since varietal characteristics are not transmitted to future generations. It is recommended to grow seedlings first. To do this, at the end of March, seeds are evenly distributed into pots with sandy-peaty soil. They are germinated under film at a temperature of +18…+22°C. With the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed. Flowering of seedlings occurs after 2-3 years.

Large plants can be divided into several parts. This is done in the fall, before the onset of cold weather. The bush is completely dug up and the rhizome is cut into sections so that each has 1-2 growth points. The cutting areas are sprinkled with crushed ash and, without allowing the roots to dry out, the cuttings are distributed over new planting holes.

Cuttings give good results. In June-July, green shoots about 15 cm long are cut. The lower leaves on them are removed, and the cut is treated with Kornevin. Planting is done immediately in open ground, in a shaded place. For 2-3 weeks, while rooting is taking place, it is recommended to cover the cuttings with film or glass jars. Every day the cover is removed and the plants are sprayed.

Since the stems independently take root where they contact the ground, varieties with creeping shoots are easily propagated by layering. It is enough to slightly damage the bark and sprinkle the sprout with soil. The top is left on the surface. The cuttings are watered regularly. The rooting process takes up to a month, after which the plant can be separated and transplanted to a new location.

Features of planting and care

Cinquefoil grows best in an open, sunny area, protected from the midday sun. If the lighting is too bright, the petals will fade and lose their attractiveness. In deep shade, shoot growth will slow down significantly, and flowering may not occur.

The soil for planting should be loose and fertile, with a slightly alkaline reaction. Loams with the addition of lime and sand are best suited. For adult plants, planting holes with a depth of 0.5 m are prepared. The distance depends on the variety and is on average 50-60 cm. A layer of drainage material is laid out at the bottom of the hole. The seedling is placed to the level of the root collar. After planting, the cinquefoil is watered abundantly and the soil is mulched with a layer of sawdust or chopped pine needles.

Regular and abundant watering plays an important role for the plant. Cinquefoil does not tolerate soil drying out well, but it is also undesirable to allow long-term stagnation of water. The liquid for irrigation should be warm. You can collect several buckets of water in advance and leave them in the sun, and pour them under the bushes in the evening. In the absence of precipitation, half a bucket of water is poured under the plants weekly.

After watering, the soil is loosened to break up the crust on the surface and improve aeration. Weeds should also be removed. The roots of the plant are shallow, so the procedure is carried out with caution.

Cinquefoil needs regular trimming. In spring and autumn, damaged shoots are removed and overly dense areas are thinned out. You can also periodically shape the bushes. After spring pruning, more side shoots will develop and flowering will be more abundant. As the buds wither, they are removed. Once every 4-5 years, anti-aging pruning is carried out. To do this, up to a third of all shoots are cut off at the same time. In the next 2 years, the remaining old branches will be removed.

Annuals are pruned in the fall and the soil is dug up. Perennials have good resistance to frost, so they do not need additional shelter for the winter. If we are talking about young seedlings, then during the first winter they are covered with lutrasil.

Composition and medicinal properties

Erect, goose and white cinquefoil are used as a medicine in folk and traditional medicine. All parts of the plant are suitable for preparing potions. Usually a decoction, alcohol infusion or tea is prepared.

The drugs have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, facilitate the treatment of pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, urolithiasis, as well as colitis and diarrhea of ​​infectious origin. Potentilla decoction helps with colds and coughs, as it is an effective mucolytic. The plant also has a beneficial effect on the kidneys and has a diuretic effect. White cinquefoil is especially rich in active elements, acids, saponins, and flavonoids. Alcohol tincture, even in official medicine, is recognized as an effective remedy for thyroid diseases.

Externally, cinquefoil is used to relieve burns, heal weeping wounds and stop bleeding. With its help, they get rid of fungus, stomatitis and periodontitis. The drugs effectively lower blood pressure. While this will be a big plus for hypertensive patients, cinquefoil is strictly contraindicated for people with low blood pressure.

Use in the garden

In landscape design, cinquefoil is used to create a garden in a natural style. Ground cover varieties form a thick green carpet. Shrub species can be used to create low green hedges, borders and ridges. The advantage is long flowering. Using different varieties, you can create an interesting composition with different colors of leaves and buds. Bushes are also used in single and group plantings in the middle of the lawn. Cinquefoil can be combined with barberry, juniper, spirea, and lavender.

Plant Potentilla (lat. Potentilla) is one of the largest genus of the Rosaceae family in terms of the number of species, the most characteristic representatives of which are the cinquefoil anserialis and the cinquefoil erectus, or galangal grass. Most of the species of this numerous genus grow in the Northern Hemisphere. The name of the plant comes from the Latin word potent - which means “strong, powerful” and, apparently, characterizes the strength and power of the healing properties of some plants of this genus, known to mankind since ancient times. Among the cinquefoils, of which there are about five thousand in the world, there are many herbaceous species, but there are also shrubs. Both the cinquefoil grass and the cinquefoil shrub are grown in garden culture. We call cinquefoil bush cinquefoil or Kuril tea, and an ancient legend tells that Ilya Muromets himself inhaled the aroma of cinquefoil to gain unprecedented strength. Since ancient times, decoctions and infusions from the mighty plant, as healers in Rus' called cinquefoil, were used to treat various diseases and to restore strength. Today, cinquefoil is largely an ornamental plant, widely used by landscape designers as a tapeworm on a green lawn, as well as for decorating hedges, borders, and alpine slides.

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Planting and caring for cinquefoil (in brief)

• Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - in autumn or spring, sowing seeds for seedlings - in February or March, transplanting seedlings into the ground - at the end of summer.
• Bloom: from July, about two months.
• Lighting: in the morning - bright light, in the afternoon - partial shade.
• The soil: loose, well-drained, nutritious, slightly acidic and containing some lime.
• Watering: only during drought once every two weeks. Water consumption - a bucket per bush.
• Trimming: in early spring for sanitary purposes.
• Feeding: three times a season with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants: in May, July, August or September.
• Reproduction: seeds, including self-sowing, and vegetatively - by dividing the bush in April-May or early September, as well as layering and cuttings in July or August.
• Pests: cutworms and their caterpillars.
• Diseases: powdery mildew, rust, spotting.

Read more about growing cinquefoil below.

Potentilla flower - description

The cinquefoil flower is represented by both perennial, biennial and annual herbaceous plants and subshrubs. The stems of representatives of this genus are most often erect, widened or erect, sometimes creeping. The leaves are multipartite or pinnate, green or gray-green in color. Shrub species of cinquefoil reach a height of one and a half meters, growing in width by approximately one meter. The flowers of most species are collected in pseudo-umbellate or corymbose-paniculate inflorescences, but there are species with single flowers. The colors of the flowers are varied - red, golden yellow, orange, pink, cream, white. Potentilla flower lasts a long time - from May to September. The fruit consists of a large number of achenes - from 10 to 80, usually bare, but sometimes hairy, and the more exotic the type of plant, the larger the fruit.

Planting cinquefoil

All cinquefoils are undemanding to growing conditions, with the exception of a few finicky species, which include, for example, white cinquefoil, which prefers to grow in the shade, or shiny cinquefoil, which feels best in southern exposure on dry sandy soils. All other species love bright areas, shaded in the afternoon by other plants, and loose, slightly acidic, nutritious and well-drained soil containing a small amount of lime. The exception is arctic cinquefoil, which needs acidic soil.

Potentilla herbaceous from seeds

Potentilla is propagated in different ways, including seeds. Professionals say that you can sow the seeds of herbaceous cinquefoil species simply in the ground in the fall, so that they undergo natural stratification over the winter, after which in the spring the seedlings sprout together, and all that remains is to plant them. You can sow seeds in the ground in spring. But we suggest not to risk the seed and grow seedlings by sowing the seeds in February or March and germinating them under polyethylene at a temperature of 15-18 ºC. As soon as the seedlings have real leaves, they need to be planted in separate cups or peat pots. Seedlings grow slowly, but, nevertheless, at the end of summer they are planted in open ground in a permanent place. For the winter, young plants must be covered. Potentillas bloom from seeds in the second year.

Cinquefoil often reproduces by self-sowing.

Planting shrubby cinquefoil

In early spring, when the snow melts and the soil thaws, seedlings of shrubby cinquefoil varieties are planted in holes that should be twice as deep and wide as the earthen ball or the size of the container in which the cinquefoil roots are located. The distance between two bushes should be at least 30 cm. A layer of lime gravel is poured onto the bottom of the hole as drainage, then the hole is half filled with a mixture of humus, leaf soil and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1, to which 150 g of complex mineral fertilizer is added . The seedling is lowered into the hole so that its root collar is slightly above the level of the surface of the site, then the hole is filled to the top with garden soil, compacted and watered. For three weeks after planting, make sure that the cinquefoil bush does not lack water. Mulch the area with straw, bark or sawdust - this will prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. If necessary, planting of cinquefoil is carried out in late summer or early autumn.

Cinquefoil care

Growing Potentilla

Growing shrubby cinquefoil, like herbaceous cinquefoil, does not require much effort. Caring for plants consists of weeding, loosening the soil, watering, fertilizing, removing faded flowers and mulching the soil on the site. You will have to water the cinquefoil only during the period of no rain once every two weeks with a bucket of warm water under each bush, and if you mulch the area with peat or sawdust in the spring, you will also have to weed and loosen the soil infrequently. In the summer you will need to add mulch to the area two or three times. You need to feed cinquefoil with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants three times a season - in May, July and August or September. This is a mandatory program for caring for cinquefoil, but if on sultry summer evenings at the end of a hot day you spray the cinquefoil with water, it will thank you for this with abundant flowering.

Potentilla propagation

In addition to the seed method of propagation, cinquefoils use vegetative methods - dividing the bush, cuttings and layering. Cuttings and propagation by layering are carried out in July-August, and dividing the bush in the spring, in April-May, or in the fall, in early September. To divide the cinquefoil rhizome, a bush that has reached four years of age is dug up, the rhizome is washed and cut into pieces with a sharp sterile knife, each of which should have 2-3 buds. The roots of the divisions are treated with a root formation stimulator and planted in the ground, trying not to bury the buds. When planting, maintain a distance between divisions of 20-40 cm.

Cuttings 8-10 cm long are cut from the ends of the shoots, removing the flowers. Root the shoots in damp perlite for a month and a half in a frost-free room. You can plant them for rooting simply in the ground somewhere in a shady corner of the garden, covering them with a jar or cut-off plastic bottle, spraying them several times a day. If buds appear, they must be torn off so that flowering does not weaken the rooting cuttings. For the winter, the cuttings are covered with spruce branches.

The easiest method of propagation is layering. How to propagate cinquefoil by layering? Select a low-growing shoot in the spring, cut it along the outside, place the shoot in the dug groove with the cut down, attach it to the ground in this exact place and cover it with earth. By autumn, the cuttings will have formed a root system and can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent place.

Pruning cinquefoil

Growing and caring for shrubby cinquefoil, in addition to the listed procedures, also requires pruning of the plant, which is carried out in early spring, before the buds open, and in the fall. If the cinquefoil is not cut, the plant becomes a shaggy, unkempt bush. Pruning cinquefoil pursues sanitary purposes, for which broken, dry and inward-growing branches are removed from the bush, and also serves to shape the bush - most often the plant is given the shape of a ball or pillow. In the spring, last year's growths are cut back by a third, and in the fall, shoots that are too elongated and old are removed. Mature plants are subjected to rejuvenating treatment every five years or if a large number of dry twigs appear. To do this, a third of the dry branches on the bush are cut off for three years in a row. As a result, the bush is completely renewed.

Pests and diseases of cinquefoil

As you can see, planting and caring for cinquefoil is not at all burdensome, and you are unlikely to have to fight diseases or harmful insects, since pests and diseases rarely bother cinquefoil. Sometimes it is affected by rust, spotting or powdery mildew. If the infection occurs with an annual species of cinquefoil, then there is no particular problem - the plant will not lose its decorative properties, and in the fall it must still be disposed of. Perennial varieties and types of cinquefoil need to be treated with a fungicide - Bordeaux mixture or colloidal sulfur, for example. Of the pests on cinquefoil, cutworms are sometimes found, which are destroyed by treating the plant with insecticides such as Fufanon, Decis Profi, Fitoverm.

Cinquefoil after flowering

Cinquefoil in autumn

When the annual cinquefoil loses its decorative properties, it is removed and the area is dug up with fertilizers. After flowering, the shoots of shrubby cinquefoil are cut by a third; as a preventive measure to combat diseases, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.

Cinquefoil in winter

Cinquefoil is perennial, whether it is herbaceous or shrubby, and does not need shelter for the winter, since it has a high degree of cold resistance. Only rooted cuttings and young seedlings planted in autumn should be covered.

Types and varieties of cinquefoil

There are so many varieties and types of cinquefoil that even listing them would take a full chapter, so we will introduce you only to the most popular types. So, among the herbaceous species the most famous are:

Cinquefoil (Potentilla apennina)

- a perennial with trifoliate silvery pubescent leaves, collected in a rosette, with pink or white flowers.

White cinquefoil (Potentilla alba)

originally from the central regions of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. It is a perennial with a height of eight to twenty-five centimeters with complex palmate-lobed basal leaves with brown stipules. Its flowers are white, up to three centimeters in diameter, collected several times in loose umbrella-shaped or racemose inflorescences. Peduncles reach a height of 25 cm; the plant has no stem leaves.

Cinquefoil or crow's foot (Potentilla anserina)

– the basal rosette of this species is formed by pinnately compound leaves up to 20 cm long, pubescent on the underside. The peduncles are leafless, bearing single yellow flowers up to 2 cm in diameter.

Nepalese cinquefoil (Potentilla nepalensis)

- a perennial plant up to 50 cm high with branched straight stems of purple color. The leaves are palmate, dark green, large - up to 30 cm long. The flowers, also large - up to 3 cm in diameter, red or light pink with dark pink veins - collected in panicles, bloom from the beginning of July for almost two months. The most attractive varieties:

• Roxana– with salmon-orange flowers in dark veins;
• Miss Wilmott– pink-cherry flowers with a dark eye, blooming profusely and for a long time;
• Floris– delicate salmon-colored flowers with a red-orange eye.

Cinquefoil erecta, or straight, or galangal (Potentilla erecta)

grows in the tundra and forest zones on the edges, lawns along the banks of rivers and swamps. This is a perennial plant with an unevenly thickened woody rhizome. The erect stem is no higher than 20 cm, branched in the upper part and leafy, the leaves are trifoliate - sessile stem, basal, dying off at the beginning of flowering - on long petioles. Flowers, solitary, regular, up to 1 cm in diameter, on thin long stalks, bloom in June-August.

Silver cinquefoil (Potentilla argentea)

- a perennial with a large tuberous rhizome, slender arched stems up to 30 cm high, long-scaled five-seven-parted basal and lower stem leaves and three-five-parted middle and upper stem leaves, densely covered with white hair on the underside. The loose corymbose-paniculate inflorescence consists of small flowers up to 12 mm in diameter. Plants of this species bloom in June-July.

Hybrid cinquefoil (Potentilla x hybrida)

- this species combines varieties and garden forms of hybrid origin. In most plants, the rhizome is oblique or vertical, the stems are pubescent, strongly branched, erect, up to 90 cm high with leaves collected in a basal rosette - the lower leaves are trifoliate or palmate on long petioles with sharp teeth along the edges, the stem leaves are trifoliate, sessile. Velvety flowers up to 4 cm in diameter, red, yellow, dark purple or pink, form a loose racemose or corymbose inflorescence. Known varieties:

• Master Floris– abundantly and long-blooming cinquefoil with simple large yellowish flowers;
• Yellow Queen– Potentilla up to 30 cm tall with yellow shiny flowers;
• Volcano– terry cinquefoil of bright red color.

In addition to the described types of herbaceous cinquefoils, two-flowered, golden, long-leaved, shaggy, Krantz, deceptive, tansy, dark blood-red, silver-leaved, Tonga, three-toothed, shiny, stemless, snow-white, arctic and others have become widespread.

Among the shrub species, Kuril cinquefoil, also known as yellow cinquefoil, also known as Kuril tea, or five-leaved flower (Pentaphylloides fruticosa), is grown in cultivation. In the specialized literature, this species was classified as a cinquefoil, but recently it has been separated into a separate genus - Kuril tea, Dasiphora (Dasys - densely hairy, phoros - bearing). This genus includes ten species, on the basis of which many cultivated garden forms and varieties have been bred, which are honey plants and are often used by designers to create picturesque hedges.

Daurian cinquefoil (Pentaphylloides davurica)

- a shrub reaching a height of 60 cm with spaced bare shoots, five-parted, almost leathery leaves, shiny on the upper side and bluish on the lower side. White flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter, most often solitary, but sometimes forming few-flowered umbrella-shaped inflorescences, they bloom for more than three months. The species has been in cultivation since 1822.

Bush cinquefoil (Pentaphylloides fruticosa)

in nature it has a vast range, covering the forests and forest-steppes of Western Europe and Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. This is an unusually hardy, highly branched plant up to one and a half meters high with gray or brown exfoliating bark and a dense hemispherical crown. Lanceolate, entire leaves up to three centimeters long and one wide, three-five-seven-parted; when young they are soft green, then they become silvery-green due to pubescence. Single or collected in loose apical corymbs or racemes, golden-yellow flowers up to 2 cm in diameter bloom from mid-June to early October. In cultivation since 1700, however, both in Europe and America, cultivars of the species are more often grown than wild Kuril tea, since they are more resistant to our climate.

The most popular of the low-growing varieties are: Dakota Sunrise, Abbotswood, Goldstar, Jolaina, Goldfinger, Reisenberg with orange-yellow flowers and Farrer's White and Rhodocalyx with white flowers.

Tall, winter-hardy shrubs over a meter high are represented by the Elizabeth and Katherine Dykes varieties with yellow flowers.

Winter-hardy varieties with silver-gray leaves: Darts Golddigger, Goldterppich, Bisi.

Compact, low varieties that require shelter for the winter: Klondike, Kobold with yellow flowers, Parvifolia, Red Ice, Red Robbin with copper-yellow flowers, Sunset with yellow-orange to brick-red flowers, Eastleigh Cream with creamy white flowers and Daydown, Royal Flash, Pretty Polly and Blink with pink flowers.

In addition to the described species of shrubby cinquefoils, the Manchurian, small-leaved, Friedrichsen and dry-flowered five-leafed plants are of undoubted interest, the capabilities of which have not yet been sufficiently studied by breeders.

Properties of cinquefoil and contraindications

Useful properties of cinquefoil

Mainly three types of herbaceous cinquefoil have healing properties - white, goose and erect, or galangal. Their properties differ slightly, and if you use cinquefoil preparations externally, then by and large it does not matter which type you use for treatment, since, as studies have shown, extracts from roots and herbs are non-toxic and have almost the same healing power. Oral use of preparations from the aerial parts of the white cinquefoil stimulates the central nervous system, and extracts from the roots increase the filtering capacity of the kidneys by 28%. White cinquefoil, like galangal, is used in the treatment of dysentery, colitis and other gastrointestinal disorders accompanied by diarrhea. Cinquefoil is also used to treat liver diseases manifested by jaundice, in particular hepatitis. In addition, white cinquefoil is used today even in traditional medicine for inflammation of the thyroid gland: an alcohol tincture of white cinquefoil, used in drops according to a certain scheme in parallel with drug treatment, gives good results. The tincture is prepared very simply: crushed dry cinquefoil root is infused with vodka, then the infusion is filtered. The uniqueness of white cinquefoil lies in the fact that it contains almost the entire periodic table, there are so many macro and microelements in it: gallotanin, phenolcarboxylic acids, starch, saponins, flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, cyanidin, kaempferol), iridoids, iodine, magnesium , copper, zinc, iron, cobalt, silicon, aluminum, and the roots of the plant contain more biological substances than the above-ground part.

The healing properties of cinquefoil erecta, or galangal grass, have been known for a long time. The chemical composition of cinquefoil erecta includes tannins, essential oils, flavonoids, elagic, malic and chitinic acids, wax, starch and gum, as well as vitamin C. Kalgan has an astringent, bactericidal, and anti-inflammatory effect. Essential oil from the plant is used in the treatment of some female diseases, tinctures and decoctions - externally for eczema, atopic dermatitis, as rinses for inflammation of the oral cavity and larynx, for douching for gynecological diseases. A decoction and infusion of stems, leaves and inflorescences of galangal is used in the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis with congestion to lower the level of bilirubin in the blood and relieve edema. However, we must not forget that when taking galangal preparations orally, they can cause constipation due to the large amount of tannins they contain.

Cinquefoil also contains tannins, essential oils, flavonoids, starch, as well as bitterness, ascorbic and quinic acids, choline, zinc and other substances necessary for humans. All parts of the cinquefoil are used to produce medicinal compositions: a decoction of the root is used to externally treat wounds, abrasions, hematomas, bruises, as well as weeping eczema and neurodermatitis. It gives good results when treating hemorrhoids and douching with a decoction of the vagina for gynecological inflammation. It is also effective in the treatment of stomach and duodenal ulcers, hepatitis and acute intestinal infections. A decoction of seeds in milk is used for gastroenteritis, painful menstruation and spastic colitis. A water decoction of the herb and rhizome relieves cramps in the calf muscles. A fresh infusion of the herb treats inflammation of the oral mucosa, sore throats and pharyngitis, and also copes well with pustular skin lesions and trophic ulcers when used externally. Fresh goose cinquefoil juice in half with green rye juice is taken in a dessert spoon three times a day as a choleretic agent for removing sand and small stones.

Among the shrubby species of cinquefoil, the tops of young shoots of the Kuril cinquefoil have healing properties. Kuril tea is used as a choleretic, diuretic, antidiarrheal, antiulcer, sedative, hemostatic, antidiabetic, antiviral, antiallergenic, analgesic and immunostimulating agent for gastrointestinal and female diseases, in the treatment of boils, abscesses and other wounds, for rinsing with sore throats, stomatitis and other inflammations of the oral cavity. It is effective for constipation and diarrhea, dysbacteriosis, stomach ulcers, colitis, cervical erosion and uterine bleeding.

Cinquefoil - contraindications

Taking preparations from cinquefoil and galangal is not recommended for people with increased blood clotting, prone to blood clots, or hypotension, since these drugs tend to lower blood pressure, like white cinquefoil. It is necessary to remove sand and stones from the ducts using a cinquefoil under the supervision of a doctor. Potentilla preparations can irritate the gastric mucosa. Pregnant women and those suffering from individual intolerance to the plant should avoid treatment with galangal.

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Potentilla erecta
Taxon: Family Roses (Rosaceae)
Other names: galangal, uzik, dubrovka, ovary, drevlyanka, oak root, whisper, ovary root
English: Tormentil

Description:
Cinquefoil erecta or galangal is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family ( Rosaceae). The rhizome is thick, multi-headed, horizontal, cylindrical or tuberous, 2-7 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, woody, reddish-brown, with numerous thin roots.
The stems of cinquefoil are erect (one or several) or ascending, forked-branched, thin, slender, up to 30 cm high, covered with short hairs.
Stem leaves are sessile, trifoliate, with large, deeply incised stipules; the leaves are usually sessile, oblong-wedge-shaped, large-serrate, appressed-pilose on both sides, less often - almost glabrous. The basal leaves are three- or five-fingered, long-petiolate, collected in a bunch, with two large stipules, which die off by the time of flowering.
The flowers are solitary, on long stalks, about 10 mm in diameter. The calyx is hairy, double, consisting of 4 subcalyx leaves and 4 sepals remaining with the fruit. The corolla is four-petalled. Petals are yellow, obovate. There are 15-20 or more stamens, there are many pistils sitting on a convex hairy receptacle.
It differs from other types of cinquefoil in having four yellow petals in the flower (other types of cinquefoil have 5 petals).
The fruit is a multi-nut. Blooms from mid-May to September. The fruits ripen in August-September.

Spreading:
Potentilla erecta is widespread in the European part of Russia, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, Belarus, and Ukraine. Kalgan grows in meadows, pastures, forest clearings, forest edges, clearings, along the outskirts of peat bogs, in sparse coniferous and coniferous-small-leaved forests, in birch groves.

Collection and preparation of galangal root:
Potentilla rhizomes are used as medicinal raw materials, which are harvested in the fall after the above-ground parts die off (September-October) or in early spring before the leaves appear (April-May).
The rhizomes are dug up, the soil is shaken off, the aerial parts, roots, and rotten parts of the rhizomes are cut off with knives and washed in cold water. After drying in the open air for several days, the rhizomes are dried in attics under an iron roof or under a canopy with good ventilation, or preferably in dryers at a temperature of 50-60 °C, laid out in a thin layer (2-3 cm) on paper, fabric, sieves Shelf life up to 6 years.

Chemical composition:
The rhizome of the cinquefoil contains up to 14 - 31%, and in the aerial part 4-12% of tannins of the protocatschip group (non-hydrolyzable), crystalline ester of tormenthol, flavonoids, quinic and ellagic acids, phlobaphenes, waxes, resins, gum, starch. The highest content of tannins in the rhizomes was found during the period of the beginning of flowering, in the above-ground part - during the period of full flowering. The aerial part of the plant contains vitamin C, the largest amount of which is found during the period of full flowering, organic acids (malic and eladic), as well as phlobaphenes, wax, resins, gum and starch. After flowering ends, the amount of biologically active substances, especially tannins, decreases.

Pharmacological properties:
Kalgan rhizomes have a bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effect. The local anti-inflammatory effect is associated with tannins that can create a biological film that protects tissues from chemical, bacterial and mechanical influences that accompany inflammation. At the same time, capillary permeability decreases and blood vessels narrow. These features of the action of Potentilla erecta are well manifested on inflamed, reddened mucous membranes with pharyngitis, stomatitis, gingivitis, as well as with gastritis and enteritis.

Application in medicine:
Cinquefoil is used as a rinse for inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Taken internally for enteritis, enterocolitis and dyspepsia. Infusions and decoctions from the leaves, stems and inflorescences of Potentilla erecta are used in the treatment of patients with acute and chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis with congestion (edema, ascites). In patients, the content of bilirubin in the blood is normalized, diuresis increases, hemorrhages, edema and ascites decrease. The mechanism of therapeutic action is based on the ability of tannins and flavonoids from cinquefoil to reduce the permeability of capillaries and cell membranes. Juice diluted with water helps with scrofula; the infusion reduces toothache.
Used externally as an application for hemorrhoids, burns, eczema and inflammatory skin diseases. Potentilla root plaster heals wounds and lichens.

Medications:
Potentilla decoction Prepare as follows: pour 1 tbsp of boiling water over a glass. l. crushed rhizomes of the plant with roots, boil for 15 minutes, filter and take 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day 1-1.5 hours before meals for diseases of the stomach and intestines, rheumatism and gout.
Infusion of cinquefoil rhizomes: Brew 1 cup boiling water 1 tbsp. l. chopped rhizomes, leave, wrapped warmly, 3 hours, strain. Take 1 tbsp. l. as a choleretic agent for gastritis and peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum with low acidity of gastric juice, as well as externally for hemorrhoids in the form of applications.
Potentilla tincture prepared with 40% alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. Drink for stomach diseases, dysentery, diarrhea, diseases of the heart, uterus, and bleeding. Externally, the tincture is used as a lotion for eczema and burns. The tincture of the root is used to lubricate the oral cavity for stomatitis and gingivitis.
If you wear this herb around your neck, as people say, you will get what you want, you will become a scientist, and you will not be denied anything.

Contraindications:
Individual intolerance, atonic