Potentilla (nivea)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Rosaceae
Family Common Name:	Rose family
Scientific Name:	Potentilla nivea L.
Common Name:	Snow cinquefoil
Species Code:	PONIV
Ecotype:	Scree slopes, Scenic Point, 2292m elevation.
General Distribution:	P. nivea is a circumpolar arctic-alpine species that occurs from Alaska to Quebec, south in Rocky Mountains to Colorado and eastern Utah and Nevada; also in Eurasia.ÿ
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	10 Months
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 3 cm, 10 to 15 true leaves in tight cushion.<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected when achenes are turn brown in late August. Seeds are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned at the nursery. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 8,000,000/kg approx. % Purity: 100% % Germination: 50%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	6 month outdoor cold, moist stratification.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are surface sown. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification. Seedlings germinate in spring under fluctuating outdoor temperatures and are grown under full sun exposure. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings germinate non-uniformly. Widely fluctuating temperatures during germination are needed for this high elevation species. True leaves appear 2 to 3 weeks after germination.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Once seedlings are established, plants develop rapid shoot and root growth 2 to 4 weeks following germination. Plants are fertilized with 20-20-20 liquid NPK at 100 ppm bi-weekly during the growing season. Plants are cushion-forming and quickly fill conetainers. Plants can be produced in 16 weeks following germination.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	16 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm in early fall; pots are flushed with water, irrigation is gradually reduced through September and October.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 10 months Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	P. nivea is a cushion plant. Plants need to be uppotted 1 year following germination. Plants produced flowers 1 year following germination.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1973. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, Second Edition, Deno, Norman, published 1993. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, National Park Service, Hassell, Wendel, April 1996.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Potentilla nivea L. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.