Sulfur cinquefoil

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Potentilla recta

Colorado noxious weed · List B — Stop the spread. CO-rules-2025

Established in some areas. Requirements vary by location: eradication, containment or suppression to stop further spread. This is a management category, separate from danger ratings. Category source · What the lists mean.

Persistent pasture and roadside weed. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: Colorado has native cinquefoils. Confirm Potentilla recta before removing a yellow-flowered cinquefoil.

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for People, Dogs & cats, Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

**flower** — A pale yellow, five-petaled sulphur-cinquefoil flower showing its central stamens.
Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check the pale yellow petals, lack of well developed basal leaves, well developed stem leaves, and hirsute stems are characteristic of this species Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**stem and leaves** — A hairy upright sulphur-cinquefoil stem with palmate leaves viewed from the side.
Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Stipe with leaves Taxonym: Potentilla recta ss Fischer et al. EfÖLS 2008 ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 Location: Schwarze Lacke, Vienna-Floridsdorf - ca. 160 m a.s.l. Habitat: dry meadows Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**seedlings** — Young sulphur-cinquefoil plants with rounded, lobed first leaves in a cultivation tray.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Nom français : potentille dressée. Nom anglais : sulphur cinquefoil. Plantules de potentille dressée, vue de dessus (culture en caissette). Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

A hairy perennial with pale yellow, five-petaled flowers and leaves divided into toothed leaflets. N-potentilla-recta

Plants & habitat

Self-seeds in pastures, disturbed ground and roadsides. Persistent seeds require follow-up after removal. N-potentilla-recta

People

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for people. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Dogs & cats

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Other animals

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for livestock. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

References

CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
N-potentilla-recta — potentilla recta — Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:04:54+00:00. Locator: Description; Attributes; Problems; Poisonous to Humans.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.

Content revised 2026-09-07 03:50:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.