A yellow flower with 5 petals and leaves with 5 leaflets having serrated edges.

Common cinquefoil in bloom. Photo via Adobe Stock.

Updated: October 27, 2026

Common cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex) is a species in the rose family (Rosaceae) that is native to Maryland and found state-wide. It may grow as a weed in lawns and garden beds.

A small black-bodied bee with clear wings sitting in the center of a yellow cinquefoil flower.
A specialist mining bee (Panurginus potentillae) on a Potentilla flower. Photo © Margarita Lankford, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), iNaturalist.org

At least 3 rare to uncommon species of mining bee (family Andrenidae) in Maryland use Potentilla as pollen specialists. Consider allowing some cinquefoil plants to remain so these bees have valuable floral resources, or plant native Potentilla species (or transplant any common cinquefoil growing where it is not wanted) elsewhere in the yard. For more information, explore the reference Pollen Specialist Bees of the Eastern United States by Jarrod Fowler and Sam Droege.

Identification

  • Growth habit: low-growing, typically 4 to 6 inches tall, with long stolons (above-ground runners) and short rhizomes (below-ground runners)
  • Flowers: yellow, with 5 petals; about ½ inch wide; produced singly on long stalks from the leaf axils
  • Leaves: palmately compound, divided into 3 or 5 leaflets with coarsely-toothed margins
    • hairy on the underside
    • may be evergreen in mild winters
    • alternate leaf arrangement
  • Stems: varies from nearly smooth to hairy and rough-textured
A 5-petaled yellow flower on a long stem above two leaves divided into 5 sections.
Common cinquefoil bloom. Photo via Adobe Stock.
Abundant common cinquefoil foliage with 5 serrated leaflets growing among unmown grass blades.
Common cinquefoil can spread via runners. (The pinnately compound leaves scattered in this group belong to another plant.) Photo via Adobe Stock.
A single yellow 5-petaled flower on a stem emerging from a 3-part leaf with serrated margins.
Common cinquefoil leaves are alternate on the stem and flowers arise on leaf axil stalks. Photo via Adobe Stock.
A yellow 5-petaled flower on a short plant with 5-part serrated leaves. Several smaller plants of the same type grow nearby.
Stolons and seedlings produce new plants near the original cinquefoil rosette. Photo via Adobe Stock.
A young common cinquefoil plant with several compound leaves, each having 5 leaflets with toothed margins radiating from a central point.
Common cinquefoil leaflets radiate around the petiole (leaf stalk) in groups of 3 or 5, and their edges have prominent teeth. The glossy surface may also be hairy. Photo: Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Similar species

Several other species of Potentilla, native and non-native, grow in Maryland. The most widespread of the non-native species are mock strawberry (Potentilla indica) and sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta). Mock strawberry only has 3 leaflets; most common cinquefoil leaves on mature plants have 5 leaflets. Sulphur cinquefoil leaves have 5 to 9 leaflets and the plant lacks stolons. In comparison to common cinquefoil, sulphur cinquefoil larger flowers (about 1 inch wide), longer stem and leaf hairs, and no stolons (runners).

Life cycle and reproduction

Common cinquefoil is a perennial: it lives for several years. The flowering period ranges from mid-spring to early summer, with a peak in May.

This species spreads by seed and stolons (runners).

Conditions that favor growth

Common cinquefoil prefers sites with full to partial sun exposure and well-drained to dry soil. It tolerates drought and nutrient-poor and/or sandy soil well. In lawns, this plant may become weedy when the grass is underfertilized, the soil has low organic matter content, mowing is infrequent, or the soil needs to be limed (the pH is too low for turfgrass).

Common cinquefoil management in lawns

General lawn care practices that discourage weeds

Maintain healthy, dense turf that can compete with weeds and prevent weed germination and establishment. Fertilize the lawn as recommended (based on season and turf type), mow high, and overseed cool-season lawns each autumn to keep the lawn dense and better able to crowd-out seedling weeds. Core-aerate to reduce soil compaction. Learn about fertilizing, mowing, overseeding, and aeration in the resource: Maintaining an Established Lawn.

Lawn care and maintenance

Mechanical management

Remove cinquefoil plants by hand or with a manual weeding tool. Doing this when the soil is moist makes the task easier. Pulling up or digging out individual plants is a viable option at the beginning of an infestation (when the plants are not yet abundant) and for young cinquefoil plants.

Manage Weeds Without Chemicals

Chemical management

Herbicide use should always be a last resort when managing weeds. Check for any local pesticide restrictions before buying and applying a product. For example, the Montgomery County pesticide law does not allow most synthetic pesticides (which includes herbicides) to be used on lawns. The active ingredient glyphosate is also prohibited on lawns in Baltimore City.

Learn about herbicide classifications and terminology:

Herbicide Options for Managing Common Lawn Weeds

Post-emergent herbicide

Spot-treat individual cinquefoil plants or infested areas with a liquid broadleaf herbicide applied when the weeds are actively growing. Look for a product with one or more of the following active ingredients: 2,4-D, MCPP (mecoprop), dicamba, or triclopyr. An application of non-selective herbicide may work, but would also damage any turfgrass exposed to the herbicide.

CAUTION: Do not spray herbicides containing dicamba over the root zone of desirable trees and shrubs. Roots or leaves may absorb this ingredient and be substantially damaged. Refer to the product label for other precautions.

References

Neal, J.C., Uva, R.H., et. al. (2023). Weeds of the Northeast. (Second edition.) Comstock Publishing Associates.

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