Taxon Report

Potentilla cristae Ferlatte & Strother

crested potentilla

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Potentilla cristae, commonly known as crested potentilla, is a perennial herb in the Rosaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1800 to 2800 meters. Potentilla cristae is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Potentilla cristae Ferlatte & Strother
Common Name:	crested potentilla
Family:	Rosaceae
Element Code:	PDROS1B2F0
USDA Plants Symbol:	POCR6
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: (Jul)Aug-Sep	(Jul)Aug-Sep
Elevation:	1800-2800 (5905-9185)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Gravelly (sometimes), Mesic (sometimes), Rocky (sometimes), Seeps (often), Serpentine (often)
Microhabitat Details:	seasonally mesic

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Siskiyou (SIS), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Boulder Peak (4112351), Marble Mountain (4112352), Mount Eddy (4112234), Seven Lakes Basin (4112224), South China Mtn. (4112235)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	1
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	13 %
ORV activity	1	12%

Notes



See Madroño 37(3):190-194 (1990) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Potentilla cristae account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2020)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 October 2025].