Worldwide there are about 500 species of potentillas, members of the Rosaceae (Rose) family. The specie growing in North America, northern Europe and western Asia is potentilla fruticosa, more commonly known as potentilla or shrubby cinquefoil. It is not a tree but a deciduous shrub with exfoliating brown bark, dusty green foliage, yellow flowers from June to October and often has bands of deadwood