Silverweed

Silverweed is a low-lying herbaceous perennial with slender stalks stretching up to 30 cm long. The silvery, strawberry-like runners creep along the ground, rooting to form new plants. The narrow, soft stems sprout dark green pinnately compound leaves. Each feathery leaf, 10-20 cm long, is composed of many serrated leaflets (9-31 in number), which grow in opposite pairs. Though dark green above, the undersides are a silvery white. The yellow flowers, each with five petals, grow solitarily atop a long, leafless stalk.

Basic Information

• Member of the Rosaceae, or rose, family

• Perennial herb

• There are two recognized subspecies:

  • Argentina anserina ssp. anserina

  • Argentina anserina ssp. pacifica; Pacific Silverweed, grows along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to southern California; the stalks lack hairs or have a few hairs that lie flat

Habitat

• Native to the Northern Hemisphere, from transcontinental Canada south to coastal New England and east to California, and parts of Eurasia

• Found in moist areas, such as grasslands, shorelines, riverbanks and roadsides, including brackish areas

Ecological Role

• Attracts butterflies

Reproduction

• Blooms from May to August

Alternative Names

• Common silverweed, silver cinquefoil, goosegrass

• A synonym for the biological name is Potentilla anserina

Historical Uses

• Silverweed was widely used by Native Americans and early Asian and European peoples as medicine and food

  • The roots, raw, boiled or roasted, have been likened to parsnips, chestnuts and sweet potatoes

  • An extract from the root was used to tan leather

  • Used mainly as an astringent in gargles, washes and teas for reducing inflammation and stopping internal and external bleeding