EOSACE^. 193 



Europe, extending northward to south Sweden, and eastward to the Crimea 

 and the Caucasus. Abundant in England, Ireland, and southern Scotland, 

 but becoming rare in the Highlands. Fl. early spring. ' 



2. Creeping Potentil. Fotentilla reptans, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 862. Cinque/oil.) 



Stock seldom much tufted, with slender, prostrate stems, often rooting at 

 the nodes, and sometimes extending to a considerable length. Stipules 

 ovate, mostly entire. Leaves all stalked, with 5 obovate or oblong, coarsely- 

 toothed leaflets. Flowers single, on long peduncles, apparently axillary, or 

 rarely forming a loose, terminal cyme, as in the Tormentil P. Petals large 

 and yellow, mostly 5, but occasionally only 4. 



In rich pastures, borders of meadows, edges of woods, and hedges, 

 throughout Europe and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. Abundant 

 in England and Ireland, but decreasing much in Scotland. Fl. summer 

 and atdumn. Much as the common form of this species differs from the 

 following one, it is by some supposed to be a mere variety, and certainly 

 the procumbent variety of the true Tormentil appears to be intermediate 

 between the two. 



3. Tormentil Potentil. Fotentilla Tormentilla, Sibth. 

 (Tormentilla officinalis, Eng. Bot. t. 863.) 



Eootstock thick and woody. Stems erect, or procumbent at the base, 

 several times forked, more or less silky-hairy as well as the leaves. Lower 

 leaves often shortly stalked, and like those of the creeping P., but the upper 

 ones always sessile, consisting of 3, or rarely 5, deeply-toothed leaflets. Pe- 

 duncles in the forks of the stem, or in the axils of the upper leaves, form- 

 ing a loose, leafy, terminal cyme. Flowers small, bright yellow, and mostly 

 with 4 petals ; the first one, however, of each stem has occasionally 5. 



On heaths, moors, and pastures, in open woods, etc., throughout Europe 

 and Russian Asia, to the Arctic regions. One of the most abundant and 

 most generally diffused British plants. FL summer. The Tormentilla rep- 

 tans (Eng. Bot. t. 864) is a more procumbent variety, occasionally creeping 

 at the base, with rather larger flowers, more fi-equently breaking out into 5 

 petals, and forms some approach to the creeping P. ; but the really inter- 

 mediate forms mentioned above are of very rare occurrence. 



4. Hoary Potentil. Fotentilla argentea^ Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 89.) 



Stems decumbent at the base, ascending, and forked above. Lower leaves 

 on long stalks, the upper ones nearly sessile, composed of 5 wedge-shaped or 

 sometimes obovate leaflets, with a very few deep teeth or lobes, and remark- 

 able for the close white down which covers their under side as well as the 

 stems. Flowers in a loosely forked, leafy corymb or panicle, rather small, 

 with 5 yellow petals. 



In gravelly pastures, and on roadsides, in northern and central Europe, 

 extending all across the Asiatic continent, but neither an Arctic nor o-ene- 

 rally a Mediten-anean plant. In Britain, sparingly distributed over Eng- 

 land, Ireland, and a portion of Scotland. Fl. summer. 



5. Spring Fotentil. Fotentilla verna, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 37.) 

 Stems generally short and tufted, sometimes procumbent at the base, and 



