ICOSANURIA. 331 



Here we find Rosa, Engl. Bof. t. 187, 990—2 ; Ru- 

 bus, t. 826, 827, 716 ; Fragaria, t. 1524 ; Pofentil- 

 la, t. 88, 89, 862 ; Tormentilla, t. 863, 864 ; Geiim, 

 jf. 106 ; DrijaSy t. 451; and Comarum, t. 172: all 

 elegant plants, agreeing in the astringent qualities of 

 their roots, bark and foliage, and in their generally 

 eatable, always innocent, fruit. (134) The vegetable 

 kingdom does not afford a more satisf.ictorv example 

 of a natural order^ composed of natural genera, than 

 this ; and Linnaeus has well illustrated it in the Flora 

 Lapponica. His genus Tormentilla^ differing from 

 Potentilla in number of petals and segments of the 

 calyx, though retained by Jussieu, may perhaps be 

 scarcely distinct ; yet there is a difference in their 

 habit, which has Induced me to leave it for further 

 consideration. Haller united them both with Fraga- 

 ria and Comarwn, which the character an(J habit of 

 the latter totally forbid, and Gaertner has well sug- 

 gested a mark from the smoothness of the seeds in 

 Fragaria, (as well as Comarum,) to strengthen that of 

 its pulpy receptacle. Whatever difficulties may at- 

 tend these genera, how admirably does the fruit serve 

 us in Rosa, Rubus, Dryas and Geum, to discriminate 

 those whose leaves, flowers, and habit all stamp them 

 as distinct ! A student cannot do better than to study 

 this order and these genera, as an introduction to the 

 knowledge of more obscure ones ; and the beautiful 

 plants which compose it, mostly familiar to every 

 body, are easily obtained. 



;134) [The Rose, Bramble, Strawberry, Cinqucfoil, and the 

 other plants mentioned above v/ere called by LinniEus Sc7it:cosa~\ 



