395 
POTENTILLA RUBENS (Crantz) Vill. Prosp. Fl. Dauph. 46. 1779. 
P. maculata Pourr. Act. Toloss. 3: 326. 1788. 
This species comes very near the Frigidae, especially to P. nana 
and P. friesiana. From the latter it differs little except in the 
number of leaflets. The leaves are much smaller than those of 
the other American Awrcae, the leaflets being only 10-20 mm. long. 
The sepals are broadly ovate, while in the rest they are ovate- 
lanceolate or lanceolate. P. rubens grows in arctic and alpine re- 
gions of Europe, in Greenland, the Baffin Bay region and 
Labrador, 
POTENTILLA DISSECTA Pursh, Fl]. Am. Sept. 355. 1814. 
P. diversifolia Lehm. Nov. Stirp. Pug. 2: 9. 1830. 
It would be much better if Lehmann’s name were used for this 
species, as this, without any doubt, belongs to it. As to P.dissecta 
Pursh, nobody seems to know absolutely what it is. Dr. Watson 
thought it to be the same as P. dwversifolia Lehm. Lehmann had 
Seen /. dissecta in Bank’s herbarium, but thought that his P. diver- 
Sifolia was different. Not being able to settle the matter satisfac- 
torily, the author thinks it best for the present not to make a 
change in the « accepted” nomenclature, although P. diversifolia 
isa good name, and available, and besides has the advantage of 
belonging to this plant without any doubt. 
To the author it seems as if P. dissecta rather belonged to 
P. multisecta (see below) or to P. Ranunculus. Lange’s description 
and figure of the latter in Flora Danica, and the only specimen 
Seen by me agrees much better with Pursh’s description of 
P. dissecta than the present species does. 
Dr. Watson included in his P. dissecta, with varieties, not less 
than five different plants, which I believe are all good species, 
viz.: P. diversifolia Lehm, P. decurrens (Wats.), P. multisecta (Wats.), 
P. pinnatisecta (Wats.) Aven Nelson, and P. Drummondu Lehm. 
These will be discussed further below. He also included P. ruéri- 
caus Lehm.; I have not seen any authentic specimens of that. 
There are two forms that fairly agree with Lehmann’s description 
and figure of P. rubyicaulis. One differs from P. diversifolia Lehm. 
Only in being smaller and with the leaves slightly whitened be- 
neath. Following Gray and Watson, I have taken this to be /, 
