246 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVII. 



notch as in leaf 3 of Fig. 6. The typical leaf of the adult plant 

 has all three lobes tridentate at the tip — Fig. 8. 



This species in its direct development is more accelerated 

 than others in the genus. Turning to Lubbock's " Seedlings " 

 '92, there are figured Potcntilla fulgens Wall, Vol. 1, p. 488, 

 Fig. 315 and P. repetens L., p. 487, Fig. 314, in which the first 

 two nepionic leaves are simple, the third trifoliolate. In P. anscr- 

 ina L. and P. bifurca L. the first leaf only is simple, the second 

 trifoliolate. Here then is a distinct difference in the rate of accel- 

 eration, our species noted here having the first leaf trifoliolate. 

 A large majority of the first leaves in spring growth show 

 excellent localized stages. Usually the first 

 leaf is trifoliolate with simple tips on all the 

 lobes as in Figs. 6 and 7. This is exactly 

 like the first nepionic leaf of the seedling. 

 The most common condition for the second 

 leaf of spring growth, on weak shoots espe- 

 cially, is a tridentate tip on the terminal 

 lobe and a simple one for the lateral lobes. 

 The third leaf may take on the full specific 

 characters or may have the lateral lobes 

 with a single notch as in leaf number 3 of 

 Fig. 6. We have then in Fig. 6 a shoot 

 which repeats all the stages seen in the 

 various seedlings mentioned. It is a sort 

 of ideal condition, repeating all the stages 

 of the seedling of the same plant, in the 

 proper sequence without repetition. 



The stages beneath the flower or as 

 1 * <■ show- shown here beneath the fruit, Fig. 9, repeat 



due to loss of strength in in the reverse order the stages noted in the 

 ^ flowering and fruitmg. straight development of the seedling and in 

 the localized development of the early spring growth. Above 

 the highest typical leaf is one which is like the first leaf of the 

 seedling and first leaf of spring growth, being a trifoliolate leaf 

 with tips which are simple. After one or two leaves of this type 

 the leaf drops the lateral lobes and becomes a simple unifoliolate 

 leaf to the base of the highest flower cluster. This last condi- 



