VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Potentilla recta | Sulfur Cinquefoil 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
NO-ENTRY


PALATABILITY : 
Sulfur cinquefoil is unpalatable to most livestock and wildlife
[19,20,26].  Cattle will selectively graze spotted knapweed, another
unpalatable species, in preference to sulfur cinquefoil [20].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Sulfur cinquefoil is not good forage because of its high tannin content.
Underground portions of sulfur cinquefoil contain 17 to 22 percent
tannin [26].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Sulfur cinquefoil is considered a weed in North America.  It is well
established in the eastern United States and eastern Canada and is
continuing to expand its range in western regions [20,26,27].  It is
listed as noxious in Montana [16].  Sulfur cinquefoil infests disturbed
areas, meadows, pasture, and rangeland [26] and can dominate a site
within 2 to 3 years of first appearance [13].  Overgrazing, which
reduces competition from grass, favors sulfur cinquefoil [27].

Sulfur cinquefoil is not a serious weed in cropland because it does not
tolerate frequent plowing.  However, a single plowing may increase
sulfur cinquefoil cover.  By mid-June, a Michigan field plowed in May
contained plants emerging from old woody caudices as well as numerous
seedlings [26].

Sulfur cinquefoil is not controlled by mowing.  When mowed monthly
sulfur cinquefoil develops bulky, spreading roots.  The dry weight of
roots from a mown and adjacent unmown area were 4.2 grams per plant and
2.0 grams per plant, respectively [26].

Batra [3] lists 47 insects associated with sulfur cinquefoil in the
northeastern United States.  However, acceptable biological control
agents are difficult to find for sulfur cinquefoil because damaging
insects and diseases also attack strawberries (Fragaria spp.), which are
genetically and physiologically similar to sulfur cinquefoil [3,13,20].

Herbicide application techniques and sulfur cinquefoil susceptibility
are described [20].  Tordon, picloram, or 2,4-D applied to rosettes in
spring and fall control sulfur cinquefoil; but seedlings appear within 3
to 4 years of application [13,18,20].  One year after herbicide
treatment, the proportion (as indicated by lbs/acre) of sulfur
cinquefoil in a pasture had dropped from 62 to 8 percent while the
proportion of grasses had increased from 20 to 91 percent.
Fertilization after herbicide treatment increases grass productivity,
but fertilization without weed suppression merely increases the vigor of
sulfur cinquefoil [27].

Small infestations can be controlled by hand pulling [18].

Related categories for Species: Potentilla recta | Sulfur Cinquefoil