;^ M.()\V1:RS OI' THl'. lll-.l.DS AND MlvADOWS 



In Inhiiul tlu-y l>clic'\c(l il Mc;k1i>\\-s\\cci was ])iu in water mi 

 St. Joliii llapilsi's I )ay it wmild rcNcal a tliict, and if lloatint;- the thief 

 would be ;i w\)ni,in, il sinUinn .i man. its IraLji'aiU llowers were con- 

 sidered to have niediiinal virtues, and il was an iiiL^redient of the 

 ri'niedy "Save" relerretl to in tin; A'uio/ii's Talc: 



IvcU >a\c llic) (Inmkcn, tor tliL-y wodc here lymes have. 



Essr.NTiAi. Si'ixiFir Ciiaracti:rs: — 



93. Spti-ira U/iiiaria, L. — Stem tall, erect, herliaceons, leaflets 

 entire, terminal palmately lobed, downy below, llowers while, in cvme, 

 numerous, fragrant. 



Cinquefoil (I'otenlilla replans, L.) 



I'lilikc the Tormentil this plant has not been discovered in any 

 early deposits. Its distribution in the- Northern Temperate Zone is 

 confined to Europe from (Gothland southward, N. and W. Asia, 

 Himalayas, Canaries, Azores. In Great Britain it is a common plant, 

 but it is not found in Cardi<ran, .S. Perth, Mid Perth, X. Aberdeen, 

 Elt^in, b'asterness. Main Ar^yle, 1 )umbart()n, Clyde Isl.mds, I'Lbudes, 

 and the whole of tlie X. 1 lii^hhuuls, anil Northern Isles, ranging thus 

 from Banff south wanl. It is a native in Irelantl and the Channel 

 Islands. 



The common Yellow Cinquefoil is a familiar plant in the meadows 

 and fiekls when in bloom, covering" some tew teet with its golden 

 llowers and creeping stem. It is addicted to little knolls and l)anks, 

 and being fond of dry .soil prefers high ground, spreading ra])idly on 

 the hillside or open meadow. 



The common English name Cinquefoil descriljes the fivefold 

 arrangement of leaflets in this plant, antl the second Latin name 

 describes its habit, creeping, the stem lying quite fl<it. It is usually 

 a larcrer plant than Tormentil, and the stem is slender, thread-like, 

 rooting at intervals. The leaves are larger, and are stalked, having 

 finger-like, toothed leaflets, blunt at the tip, with some small leaves in 

 the axils in pairs, and slightly hair\-. 



The flowering stalks bear solitary flowers and are long, in the axils, 

 and half-erect, with large flowers, the sepals being alternately smaller, 

 the petals heart-sha[)cd. The achenes or fruits are rough, the seeds 

 numerous. 



Cinquefoil being a plant which lies on the ground is never more 

 than 6 in. in height. It flowers freely in June and July. It is 

 perennial and propagated by runners. 



