CHAl'. XLII. 



i?OSA'CEiE. POTENTl LLA. 



747 



those of niia alba; It. cordifulius D. Don appears to be the same species, or perhaps 

 There is a plant in the Horticultural Society's Garden. 



R. acumindhis Smith, li. ftetulinus D. Don, is a native of Nepal, with 

 leaves like those of the birch or hornbeam. 



R. reflt'xus Ker {But. lirg., t. 4i;i. ; and- our Jf,?. iC>6.),n. moluccanus Jit., 

 but not of Lin., is a straggling shrub, a native of China, from which country 

 it was brought to the Kew (iarden in 1S17. The leaves are oblong-cordate, 

 3— 5.1obed, densely clothed with tomentum beneath, as are the stems and 

 flower buds, and the flowers are white. It apjiears a very distinct species. 



R. UKtufbliiis Smith (7J()H\v Mill., 2. p. Siffl. ; Hot. Cab., 1. 1;")8.) is a native 

 of the Mauritius, with pinnate leaves. It is generally kept in the green- 

 house. f-^7y\^''^\' 



R. r. 2 coroniirius S:\ms [liol. Mag., t. 1783. ; and our ./?^. 467.), U. simnsis i>f m\Uj 



orl., /{. Commerstin/rt I'oir., has double while flowers. This beautiful i /Jt/'VV 



//o.... ... , 



variety is rather tender ; but a plant stood out against the wall in the Horti- 

 cultural Society's Garden for two years. 



a variety. 



Genus X. 



JSl 



POTENTI'LLA L. The Potentilla, or SnnuBBY Cinquefoil. 

 Lin. Si/.iL Icosandria Polygyuia. 



Identification. Lin. den.. No. 865. ; Nestl. Pot. Diss., 4to. ; Lehm. Pot. Diss., 4to. ; Dec. Prod., 2. 



p. ;'>71. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 549. 

 Derivation. From potens, powerful ; in allusion to the supposed medicinal qualities of some 



species. 



Description, S^-r. The ligneous species are low shrubs with pinnatifid leaves, 

 natives of Europe and America, and of easy culture in a dry soil. They are 

 propagated by seeds or cuttings ; and, except the common species, P. fruti- 

 cosa, are not much in cultivation. Of the varieties of P.fruticosa, P.f. tcnuiloba 

 Scr. seems the most showy. Those who wish to include as many species 

 as they can in their arboretum, may subjoin to the genus Potentilla the 

 genus Comarum ; C. palustre (P. Comarum Scop.), a well-known British 

 plant, having somewhat ligneous shoots. It grows to the height of Uft. 

 in marshy soils ; has very handsome foliage, and flowers of a deep dingy 

 purple ; and may prove useful in particular situations on the margins of 

 [ onds. 



a 1. P. FRUTico''sA L. The shrubby Potentilla, or Cinquefoil. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 709. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 579. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 560. ; Nestl. Pot; Lehm. 



Pot. ; Smith's Eng. flora, 2. p. 416. 

 Engravings. Eng. Bot., t. 88. ; Nestl. Pot., 30. 1. 1. ; and ourfg. 468. 



Stem shrubby. 



Spec. Char., S,-c 



Leaves pinnatcly cut, hairy; the 

 lobes oblong, lanceolate, entire, 

 ai)proximatc, of nearly the same 

 colour on both surfaces. Sti- 

 pules lanceolate, membrana- 

 ceous, acute. Inflorescence 

 rather corymbose. Flowers 

 yellow. Sepals pilose, lanceo- 

 late, acute, broacl at the base. 

 Bracteas linear-lanceolate, in- 

 distinctly petioled. Corolla 

 longer than the calyx. Receptacle very hairy. {Dec. Prod., ii. p. .579.) A 

 native of England, Germany, the Pyrenees, and other places. Found in 

 different parts in Middleton, Tccsdalc, in England: and Rock Forest, 

 Clare, in Ireland; flowering in June. This species is the only one common 

 in Britisii nurseries. 



Varieties, according to Seringe, in Dec. Prod. 



St I' f. 2 dnhiirica Scr. P. dahiiric.i Xestl. Pot., 31. t. 1.; Ilort. Brit., No. 2914-3. ; P. fruti- 

 "cbsa i3 I.elim. Pot., 32. — Glabrous. Lobes of the leaves 3—5, pinnaitly cut. Sepals 



