potentilla

noun

po·​ten·​til·​la ˌpō-tᵊn-ˈti-lə How to pronounce potentilla (audio)

Examples of potentilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead, prune potentilla when the plants are dormant in winter and clip back the thickest stems all the way to the ground since these stems usually won’t rebloom. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2025 Plant or prune ground covers to clear dead portions and stimulate new growth — including ice plant, ivy, potentilla and wild strawberry. Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025 This also works well on potentilla and summer blooming spirea. Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024 Great planting partners include weigela, new and improved varieties of potentilla such as 'Bella Bellissima,' lilac such as 'Miss Kim,' and ninebark. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2022 Inside the freezer in Framingham are tightly sealed packages containing an estimated 6 million seeds from hundreds of plant species, bearing obscure or hard-to-pronounce names like potentilla robbinsiana. Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Medieval Latin, garden heliotrope, from Latin potent-, potens

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of potentilla was in 1548

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Potentilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potentilla. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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