Weed of the Week: Dwarf Cinquefoil

This low-growing perennial plant thrives in dry soils. It is native to New England, and will grow in sun or part-sun. On Cape Cod this plant starts flowering in early May, and will continue to bloom into June.

Dwarf cinquefoil is a pollinator support plant and small bees and flies use its nectar, while larger bees collect the pollen. The seeds are eaten by birds, and rabbits will eat the leaves. When planted with other native plants such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), the dwarf cinquefoil makes an attractive, groundcover plant in a dry meadow-style planting.

Since a “weed” is any plant that’s in the wrong place, if this is growing in lawns where it isn’t wanted, treat as a broadleaf weed. A lawn that has soil amended by compost and clippings, with lush turf that’s mowed high, is less likely to have cinquefoil since the Potentilla prefers dry, infertile soils.