Have you heard of the following plants cinquefoil, tormentil, and barren strawberry? Would you believe that these names point to only one plant, and that is Potentilla. This plant is a member of family Rosaceae and is native
to North Hemisphere. If you're interested to know how this flower looks, then I will describe the plant for you. This specie has leaves that are divided into five leaflets which are arranged palmately, but there are also species with three leaflets. But don't be confused if you will see a Potentilla specie with 15 or more leaflets because it is possible.
In our garden, my mom plants Potentilla on one side and every time I go there, I notice that there are moths and butterflies flying near them. Then I learned that the leaves of this plant serve as food for the larvae of some Lepidopterans. My professor back in college told me that there had been some changes to the circumscription of Potentilla. According to him, these changes were the effects of recent genetic researches. If you have time, why don't you plant this flower to help in maintaining the balance in the environment. I am sure
many Lepidopterans will appreciate it because there will be more available food for them.
