Thank you for all those who took a stab at the latest Name that Plant. Several of you knew exactly what it was, sulphur cinquefoil or botanically known as Potentilla recta. This wildflower member of the Rosaceae family grows between 16 and 32 inches long with palmate leaves that have 5-7 leaflets on the lower parts of the plant and only 3 toward the top. Its flowers have five petals which is where it gets its name. In Tennessee it can be found from the Western Highland Rim and eastward as well as Carroll and Shelby Counties (Memphis).
Much of the information in this post comes from Jack B. Carman’s book Wildflowers of Tennessee
That is why I read blogs-to learn and you taught me something new!