ALCHEMILLA ACUTIDENS 287 



character ; in acutidens and its variety the sepals are more acute 

 and taper more from their base, as compared with those of alpes- 

 tris (see figures). Apparently, too, A. acutidens never becomes so 



Flower of A. acutidem var. alpestri/onnis Flower of A. alpestris 



(each enlarged four times). 



coarse and robust as A. alpestris even in the most suitable 

 positions, but retains its more graceful habit, with decumbent- 

 ascending stems which never attain such a height as those of 

 alpestris. The leaves of the latter, too, are not so strongly 

 undulate as those of acutidens, but this character is quite lost in 

 dried specimens. 



The shape of the lobes of the leaves of acutidens and yar. 

 alpestriformts is extraordinarily variable ; Buser in describing 

 A. acutidens (and the remark holds good with its variety) says 

 (I.e. p. 104) : — " Lobes rather deep .... loith differences of outline 

 very pronounced according to age and position." Thus I have seen 

 var. alpestriformis with flattened rounded lobes (similar to those 

 of A. acutidens figured by Lindberg, op. cit. 1. 17) on Meall Garbh, 

 Perthshire, and plants with triangular- acute lobes (similar to those 

 figured on t. 16) near Lochan nan Chat, Ben Lawers. 



It must be borne in mind that the descriptions (both as regards 

 shape and clothing) of the leaves given above are those taken from 

 mature summer examples; the first spring leaves of J.. aZjJcs^m 

 are sometimes extremely like those of acutidens, but the later 

 summer ones, when mature, are quite distinctive. 



Synonymy and Distribution. 



Alchemilla acutidens Buser in Bull. Herb. Boiss. 1894, 104. 

 A. vulgaris L. var. y acutidens Briquet in Burnat, Fl. Alpes- 



Marit. iii. 149 (1899). 

 A. vulgaris L. subsp. A. connivens Camus in Rouy Fl. Fr. vi. 



451 (1900) ; non Buser. 

 A. vulgaris L. II. B. A. alpestris Schmidt. A. eu-alpestris 

 A. & G. II. aciLtidens Aschers. & Graeb. Syn. Mittel. Fl. vi. 

 412 (1902). 

 A. acutidens Buser, ampl. Lindb. fil. Nord. Alchem. vulg.- 



formen, 111 (1909). 

 Iceland ! Faroes, Norway ! Sweden ! Finland ! Russia ! Swit- 

 zerland ! France, Austria-Hungary, Italy. 

 Var. ALPESTRIFORMIS, var. nov. 



A Alchemilla acutidente caulibus petiolisque minus pilosis, 

 foliis fere glabris nisi tamen subtus nervibus in dimidio superiore 

 pilosis, diftert. 



