Pacific Silverweed

The Pacific Silverweed (Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica) is a low, running coastal groundcover with ferny leaves silver-white beneath, cheerful yellow flowers, and sweet edible roots — one of the great traditional root foods of the Northwest Coast.^2, 4

NOTE: Keep roots wet upon arrival — do not let them dry out.

Edible & Medicinal Uses

The prize is the root, which tastes like sweet potato or parsnip. The roots are bitter raw but lose most of that bitterness when steamed or roasted, turning sweet and nutty; they're notably nutritious, with an amino-acid profile similar to barley (close to a complete protein). The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a potherb. Silverweed is traditionally tended and harvested in estuarine "root gardens," often right alongside Springbank Clover. A note of care: silverweed is traditionally avoided during pregnancy, as it can stimulate the uterus.^1, 4

Ornamental Qualities

A charming, tough groundcover, Pacific Silverweed spreads by bright red runners into a low mat of pinnate leaves — green above, shimmering silver beneath — spangled with butter-yellow, five-petaled flowers spring through summer. It's excellent for binding moist or sandy soil at a pond edge, rain garden, or coastal bank, and pairs naturally with Springbank Clover.¹

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Native to Pacific coastlines, Pacific Silverweed grows in salt marshes, estuaries, wet meadows, and beach edges, tolerant of salt and seasonal flooding. Its running mats stabilize wet soil and its flowers feed pollinators.^1, 2

Culture: Silverweed is a key "root" food of Northwest Coast peoples (Tlingit tséit), grown in tended, owned estuarine gardens managed by dividing and replanting the roots — a practice documented alongside springbank clover. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.⁴

In the Kitchen

Lift the long roots in fall, then steam or roast them to sweeten — they cook up like a slender sweet potato or parsnip, good mashed, in soups, or roasted with oil. Toss the young leaves into a salad or wilt them as greens. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

• Native Range: Pacific coast of North America; salt marshes, estuaries, wet meadows¹
• USDA Zones: ~5–9³
• Light: Full sun to part shade¹
• Water: Moist to wet; tolerates salt and seasonal flooding¹
• Soil: Moist, rich; sandy to clay¹
• Habit: Spreading groundcover; runs by red runners²
• Edible: Roots (sweet, cooked) & young leaves — avoid in pregnancy⁴

References

1. Alaska Ethnobotany (UAF); CalScape, Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica.
2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
3. USDA PLANTS Database, Potentilla anserina.
4. Turner & Kuhnlein, "Two Important Root Foods of the NW Coast," Econ. Bot., 1982.

Pot Sizing Guide