POTENTILLA ANSERINA. SlLVER- 



POTENTILLA Lin. Gen. PL Icosandria PolYgynia 



Cal. 36. fidus. Petal* 5. Sent, mbrotunda, iruda, feceptactilo parvo 

 exlucco affixa. 

 Raii. Syn. Gen. 25. Herbje semine fruDo polyspermy: 

 POTENTILLA Anferina foliis pinnatis ferratis, caule repente, pedunculi's unifloris Lin Svfi Pkreti* 



p. 396. Spec. PI. p. 710. FL Suec. n. 452. 

 FRAGARIA caule repente, foliis pinnatis ferrati- fubtus tomentofis, pctiolis un&oris, Haller hitl- 11 26 

 POTENTILLA Anferina. Scopoli. Fl. Cam. n. 6 1 5. ' J J ' 



POTENTILLA Bauhin. pin. 321. Park. $93. 

 ARGENTINA Gerard, etnac. 993. 



PENTAPHYLLOlDES Argentina didla Rati. Syn. p. 256. Wild Tafify, Silver-weed. 

 Hudjon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. £. 222. 

 LightfootFl. Scot. p. 268, 

 Qeder* Fl. Dan. t. 544. 



RADIX perennis, ramofa, extus nigro fufca feu albida 

 pro' ratione aetatis, fibrilloia, defcendens. 



CAULES feu potius flagellar, plufes, in longum ex- 

 tenfae, teretes, geniculatee, rubieundae, pubef- 

 centes, repentes. 



FOLIA fubtus villofa, albido-cinerea, fupr'a pubefcen- 

 tia, viridia, fepe etiam villofa, cinerea, peti- 

 olata, pinnata cum imparl : foliolis feffilibus, 

 oppolitis, ovalibus, incifo-ferratis ; quorum 

 inferiora fenfim minora ; 

 petiolata, procumbentia. 



radicalia 



longius 



STIPULiE parviufculaa, ovales, acuta?, in ipfopetiolo 

 communi inter park foliolorum, fuperne fef- 

 files, oppofltae, integerrimae, fubtus pariter 

 villofae. 



PETIOLI villofi, fupra plani, bafi vagina con cava, 

 membranacea, tenera, pubefcente, in petiolum 

 utrinque decurrente. 



VAGINA caulmae, h. e ftipulae, ad genicula caulis 

 folitaria?, apice bifida?, ikpe multifidae, feren- 

 tes foliolum oblongum dentatum. 



FLORES pedunculati, ex vaginis caulis ftipulaceis, 



folitaFii. 

 PEDUNCULI teretes, villofi, uninori, erecti. 



CALYX: PeriAnthium monophyllum, villofum, 

 10. fidum : laciniis ovatis, imbricatis, patenti 

 reflexis ; quarum 5 interiores integras, acuti- 

 ufculas, bafi lutefcentes ; exteriores 5 obtu- 

 fiufculae, incite, fig. r. 



PETALA quinque, lutea, ovata, obtufa, feffilia, calyci 

 inferta. Jig. 2. 



gTAMINA : Filamenta plurima, fubulata, lutea, 

 calyci inferta, ere&a ; Anthers cordatae, 

 obtufae, ereclae, utrinque planae.^. 3. 



PISTILLUM: Germina plurima, ovata, obufa, alba, 

 villo receptac.uli circumdata ; Styli fubulali, 

 germinis lateri adnati, lutefcentes, ftamini- 

 bus breviores, Stigmata truncata.j%. 4. 5. 



RECEPTACULUM barbatum. 



ROOT perennial, branched, externally of a dark brown 

 or whitifh colour according to its age, fur-* 

 niihed with fmall fibres, and penetrating 

 deep. 



STALKS or rather runners, feveral extended to a eon- 

 fiderable length, round, jointed, reddi(h ? 

 downy and Creeping. 



LEAVES hoary on the under fide, of a whitifh am- 

 colour, on the upper fide downy, and green,) 

 though fometimes alfo hoary" and filvery, 

 itanding on footftalks, pinnated, with an 

 odd one at the extremity ; the fmall leaves 

 feffile, oppofite, oval, deeply cut in on the 

 edge; the lowermoft gradually the frnalleft ; 

 the radical ones ftanding on longer footftalks- 

 than the others and procumbent. 



STIPUL/E fmall, oval, and pointed, placed on the com- 

 mon footftalk itfelf, betwixt each pair of the 

 fmall leaves, above feffile, oppofite, entire, 

 underneath hoary alfo. 



LEAF-STALKS villous, flat on the upper fide, form- 

 ing a fheath at the bottom, which is hollow, 

 membranous, tender, downy, running down 

 each fide of the leaf ftalk. 



SHEATHS of the ftalks or rather the ftipulae of the 

 runners, are placed fingly at the joints, bifid 

 and often multifid at top, bearing an oblong 

 indented fmall leaf. 



FLOWERS itanding on footftalks, proceeding fingly 

 from the joints of the runners. 



FLOWER-STALKS round, villous, upright, fupport- 

 ing one flower. 

 £ CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, villous, divi- 

 ded into 10 fegments, which are ovate, the 

 edges laying one over the other, fpreading, 

 and fomewhat turned back, the 5 innermoft 

 are entire, ratherpointed, yellowiih at the bafe, 

 the outermoft bluntifh and jagged jig-, t. 



PETALS five, of a yellowiih colour, ovate, obtufe, fef- 

 file, twice the length of the calyx, very much 

 'expanded, and infer ted into the Calyx. Jig. 2. 



STAMINA: numerous Filaments, tapering, yeHow, 

 inferted into the Calyx, upright ; Antherje 

 heartfhaped, blunt, upright, flat on both fides-. 



fig- Z- 



PISTILLUM : Germina numerous ovate, obtufe, 

 white, furrounded by the hairs, of the' recep- 

 tacle ; Styles tapering, growing out of the 

 fide of the germen, of a yellowiih colour s 

 fhorter than the ftamina ; Stigmata trun- 

 cated, fig. 4. 5. 



RECEPTACLE hairy. 



FEW plants render themfelves more confpicuous by the whitenefs of their leaves than the Potent ilia Anferina* 

 indeed its old name of Argentina was derived from this very circumftance ; it muff be remark'd however that in this 

 particular it is fubjeft to much variation, the leaves being fometimes filvery on both fides, and fometimes entirely 

 green, but it is moft commonly found with the upper fide of the leaves green, and the under fide filvery ; the 

 more clayey the foil, the whiter the leaves are generally found to be. 



It is a plant which thrives moft in moift fituations, efpeeially if the foil be clayey, and the water apt to ftag- 

 Jiate on it, in fuch fituations it may be found almofl every where about London, flowering from July to Sep- 

 tember. 



Ray informs us On very refpedable authority that the Boys about Settle in Yorkfhire, call the roots of thefe 

 plants by the name of Moors, and that in the winter feafon they dig them up and eat them, and that he him- 

 felf had been a witnefs to their being turned up and greedily devoured by fwine — it deferves the confederation of 

 the farmer how far thefe animals may be render'd ufeful in this refpect, not as to this plant only, but many others- 

 which are either noxious or ufelefs. 



Its medicinal virtues are wholly out of repute,- 



