40 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
compound, but the five leaflets are arranged in a 
fashion differing from those of the Wild Rose. Those 
of the Cinquefoil spread out from a common centre, 
somewhat as the fingers of a hand diverge, and con- 
sequently the arrangement is described in the books 
as digitate. Note that though there are fingers to 
this leafy hand there is no palm. 'hese leaves are 
on long leaf-stalks, and between the base of the leaf- 
stalk and the stem (ail) the flower-stalks are produced. 
Each flower-stalk supports but one flower, consisting 
of five petals, which are broadest in the middle, whence 
they narrow greatly to their base. The calyx appears 
to consist of ten sepals, but five of these are regarded 
as little bracts (bracteoles), forming an epicalyx, or 
calyx upon calyx. Coming to the inside of the flower, 
we find that the receptacle is not hollowed out like 
those of the Rose and Apple, but level-topped, both 
carpels and stamens standing up from its surface. 
Both ripen at the same time, and as the flowers are 
much visited by flies, beetles, bees, and butterflies, for 
honey and pollen, self-fertilisation is freely effected. 
Another species of Potentilla is known as the Tor- 
mentil (P. tormentilla). It differs from the Cinquefoil 
in having its stems half-erect, not rooting; but there 
is a variety or sub-species whose stem creeps, and 
occasionally is known to root. Its leaves are stalkless, 
and have but three divisions, but the stipules have 
cut edges like the leaflets, so that the leaf as a 
whole looks a Cinquefoil. Another peculiarity of the 
Tormentil which makes it probable that it may be a 
degraded descendant of the Cinquefoil is the reduction 
of the petals and sepals to four each, but occasionally 
it appears with the floral leaves in fives. 
