PoTENTILLA REPTANS. COMMON CINQUEFOIL or 
FIVE LEAVED GrASS. 
POTENTILLA Linnai Gen. PI. Icosandria Polygynia: 
Rati Gen. 15. Herba; semine nudo polyspermy. 
POTENTILLA reptans foliis quinatis, caule repente, pedunculis unifloris. Liti: Syfi. Vegetab. p. 398. FI. 
Suecic. p. 178. 
PR AGAR IA foliis quinatis ferratis, petiolis unifloris, caule reptante. Haller hifi. v. 2. p. 47. 
QUINQUEFOLIUM majus repens. Bauhin pin. p. 325. Gerard emac. 987. 
PENTAPHYLLUM vulgatiffimum Parkinfon 398. Rail Syn. p. 255. 
POTENTILLA reptans. Hudfon. FI. Angi. p. 197. Scopoli FI. Carniol. p. 361 
RADIX perennis, fufiformis, paucis fibrillis inftru&a, | ROOT perennial, tapering, furniffied with few fibres, 
intra terram profunde penetrans, craffitie digiti | penetrating deeply into the earth, the fize of 
minimi aut pollicis etiam in annofis, externe | the little finger, or even of the thumb when 
fordide caftanea. | old, externally of a dark chefnut colour. 
CAULES numerofi, teretes, glabri, repentes, purpurei. | STALKS numerous, round, fmooth, and creeping. 
FOLIA quinata, etiam feptena occurrunt, ferrata, venofa, | LEAVES quinate, or growing five together, fometimes 
inaequalia, parum hirfuta, petiolis longis infi- * even feven, lerrated, veiny, unequal in their 
dentia, per paria e geniculis caulium ad magna | fize, flightly hairy, fitting on long footftalks, 
intervalla prodeuntia. | which proceed in pairs from the joints of the 
I ftalks at confiderable diftances. 
STIPULAE geminae, trifoliate, foliolis ovatis. | STIPUL/E growing in pairs, compofed of three oval- 
| Ihaped leaves. 
PETIOLI uniflori, longi, fuberecti. | FOOT-STALKS of the flowers uniflorous, long, and 
I nearly upright. 
CALYX: Peri anthium monophyllum, planiufculum, | CALYX: a Peri an thium of one leaf, flattilh, divided 
decemfidum, laciniis alternis minoribus, fiepe % into ten fegments, the fegments alternately 
reflexis, fig. 3, 4, 5. | lmaller and frequently turned back, j!rg-. 3. 4. 5. 
& 
COROL 1 A : Petala quinque, fubrotundo-cordata, f COROLLA : five Petals of a roundifli heart-Ihaped 
flava, unguibus calyci inferta, fig. 6. 
figure, and yellow colour, inferted into the Ca- 
lyx by their Ungues or claws, fig. 6. 
STAMINA: Filamenta viginti, fubulata, Corolla bre- 
viora, margini interiori glandulofa? calycis in- 
ferta, in duas feries diftributa ; Anthera 
oblonga?, compreflae, flava?, biloculares, locula; 
membrana divifie, infidentes, fig. 7, 8. 
PISTILLUM: Germina numerofa, in capitulum col- 
le£ta ; Styli filiformes filamentis breviores, la- 
teri Germinis inferti, perfiftentes ; Stigmata 
minima, obtufa, fig. 9, 10. 
SEMINA numerofa, parva, fufca, Itylo perfiltente ter- 
minata, fig. 11, 12. 
STAMINA twenty Filaments tapering : Ihorter tftan 
the Corolla, inferted into the inner edge of the 
Calyx, which puts on a glandular appearance, 
and placed in two rows ; Anthers oblong, 
flat, bilocular, the bags or cavities divided by 
a membrane, fitting on the filaments, 7, 8. 
PISTILLUM: the Germina numerous, collefted into 
a little head ; the Styles filiform, Ihorter than 
the filaments, inferted into the fide of the Ger- 
men and continuing; the Stigmata very 
Imall and blunt, fig. 9, 10. 
SEEDS numerous, fmall, brown and terminated by the 
Style, fig. 11, 12. 
The Roots of Cinquefoil and many other plants of the Clafs Icofandria, poflefs confiderable virtues as aftringent 
medicines, and may be ufed in the fame Cafes in which Bijlort is recommended. 
It has likewife been ufed in fome places for the purpofe of tanning Leather where better materials for that 
purpofe are with difficulty acquired. 
A Tea or infufion of the leaves is in ufe among the Country People as a drink in Fevers. 
Moll forts of Cattle are fond of the leaves, but it does not appear to be a plant worth cultivating on that account. 
The Larva or Caterpillar of the Phahena Ri/bi, vid. Roefel, Suppl. tab. 69, Albin tab. 81, feeds on the leaves 
m Autumn, although a plant to which that Infedt is by no means confined. 
It grows very common in meadows and on banks by the road fides, and flowers in July, Auguft, and September. 
It affords the botanic Student a very good example of the Caulis repens or Creeping Stalk. 
