Scarlet Cinquefoil Seeds

Cinquefoil comes from the French for "five-leaved," since plants in this family often have groups of five leaves. The first botanical records of this plant can be found in botanist Frederick Pursh's 1814 publication of Flora Americae Septentrionale. Pursh, a German botanist who worked in America for many years, completed this significant work as a result of extensive research and travel throughout the frontier. The genus name "Potentilla" comes from a word meaning "powerful," referring to a common belief that this plant had medical benefits.