194' THE EOSE FAMILY. 



ascending above to the height of 6 or 8 inches, or shortly prostrate, but not 

 rooting at the nodes as in the creeping P. Lower leaves on long stalks, with 

 5 or 7 obovate or oblbng, toothed leaflets ; the upper ones shortly stalked or 

 nearly sessile, with 5 or rarely only 3 leaflets, aU green on both sides, 

 although sometimes greyish by the abundance of silky hairs. Flowers irre- 

 gularly panicled at the ends of the short, weak stems ; the petals yellow, 

 broad, and longer thon the calyx. 



In pastures and waste places, chiefly in hilly and mountain districts, in 

 Europe, and central and Russian Asia, extending to the Arctic regions, but 

 grows also in the dry, hot regions of southern Eurojje. Tliinly scattered over 

 England and Scotland, cliiefly in hUly districts, and not recorded from Ire- 

 land. Fl. spring and summer. It varies much iu size and hairiness, and in 

 the size of the flowers. A luxmnant mountain variety, with larger flowers, 

 of a golden yellow, has been distinguished as a species, under the name of 

 P. alpestris or P. aurea (Eng. Bot. t. 561). 



6. Shrubby Fotentil. Potentilla fruticosa, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 88.) 



Differs from all other European species by tlie stem, the lower portion of 

 which becomes woody, forming an erect or spreading shrub or undershrub, 

 often very low, but sometimes attaining 2 feet iu height ; the short flowering 

 branches die down as in other Potentils. Stipules narrow and thin. Leaf- 

 lets usually 5, narrow and entu-e ; the three upper ones often shortly con- 

 nected at the base; the two lower inserted at some distance fi'om them, so 

 as to foiTU a piuuate i-atber than a digitate leaf. Peduncles teiTuinal or op- 

 posed to the leaves, each vrith a single rather large yellow flower. 



In bushy or stony places, chiefly in mountain districts, widely difiused 

 over Europe, central and Russian Asia, and North America, but not gene- 

 rally common. In Britain, only in a few localities in the north of England, 

 and in Clare and Galway in Ireland. PI. summer. 



7. Goose Fotentil. Potentilla anserina, Liiin. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 861. Silver-weed.) 



Stock tufted, with long creeping runners rooting at the nodes, as m the 

 creeping P. Leaves pinnate, with luunerous oblong, deeply toothed leaflets, 

 green or somewhat silky on the upper side, of a shining silver-white under- 

 neath from the silky down with wliich they are covered. Peduncles long, 

 solitary at the rooting nodes, bearing a single rather large yellow flower. 



Common on roadsides, in stony pastiu-es, and waste places thi-oughout 

 Europe, Russian and central Asia, and a great part of North America, ex- 

 tending to the Arctic regions, and reappearing in the southern hemisphere. 

 Abundant iu Britain. Fl. summer. 



8. Rock Potentil. Potentilla rupestris, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 2058.) 



Stock pereimial, sometimes forming a very short, woody stem, the annual 

 flower-stems 6 to 10 inches high. Leaves chiefly radical, pinnate ; the com- 

 mon stalk rather long ; the leaflets 5 or rarely 7, ovate, toothed, green, and 

 somewhat glutinous. The stem -leaves few and smaller, usually with only 

 3 leaflets. Flowers few, rather large, of a pure white, forming a loose, irre- 

 gular corymb. 



In clefts of rocks, in limestone districts, in the mountain-ranges of central 



