395 



PoTENTiLLA RUBENS (Crantz) Vill. Prosp. Fl. Dauph. 46. 1779. 



P. maciilata Pourr. Act. Toloss. 3: 326. 1788. 



This species comes very near the Frigidae, especially to P. nana 

 and P. Frksiana. From the latter it differs little except in the 

 number of leaflets. The leaves are much smaller than those of 

 the other American Aiireae .'CdQ leaflets being only 10-20 mm. long. 

 The sepals are broadly ovate, while in the rest they are ovate- 

 lanceolate or lanceolate. P. nibens grows in arctic and alpine re- 

 gions of Europe, in Greenland, the Baffin Bay region and 

 Labrador. 



PoTENTiLLA DissECTA Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 355. 1 8 14. 



P. divcrsifolia 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. divcrsifolia Lehm. Lehmann had 

 seen P. dissecta in Bank's herbarium, but thought that his P. divcr- 

 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. divcrsifolia 

 is a 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. multtsecta (see below) or to P. Ranunadus. 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. divcrsifolia Lehm, P. deciirrens (Wats.), P. midtisccta (Wats.), 

 P. pinnatisecta (Wats.) Aven Nelson, and P. Drnvivwndii Lehm. 

 These will be discussed further below. He also included P.rubri- 

 caulis 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. rnbicaulis. One differs from P. divcrsifolia Lehm. 

 only in being smaller and with the leaves slightly whitened be- 

 neath. Following Gray and Watson, I have taken this to be P. 



