» "Cinquefoil" redirects here. For other uses, see Cinquefoil (disambiguation). Potentilla 's the genus of typical cinquefoils, containing about 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the rose family Rosaceae. They're generally Holarctic in distribution, though some may even be found in montane biomes of the New Guinea Highlands. Several other "cinquefoils" formerly included here're now separated in distinct genera. The origin the name "cinquefoil"'s the French cinque feuilles (… (More on Cinquefoil)