A native wildflower which may increase in overgrazed pasture. It is often confused with Potentilla recta (sulfur cinquefoil) which is a pernicious Eurasian weed but can easily be distinguished from it due to the fact that Potentilla gracilis has the following characteristics: Flowers bright rather than pale yellow. Stem leaves horizontal rather than vertical. The backs of the leaves obviously more densely hairy and lighter colored than the upper surface.