Potentilla Anserina. Silver-Weed, 
POTENTILLA Lin. Gen. PL Icosandria Polygynia 
Cal. io. S' fubrotuuda, mida, receptaculo parvo 
POTENTTT T A ^BrV*^”r semine nudo polysperma:.' 
POTENTILLA Anf,r„a folus p,„„at.s br.ns ca.le ref«„te, pedunculis nniSoris. Lin. S,J. 
1TT3 1 . , ...P' . 39°' V"' 7 IO. F/. 4^2. ® 
POTENTILLA jlfLlL%c°opdi. S“Sra, P““*‘= unifloris. Halkr. hijl. 1 126. 
POTENTILLA Bauhin. piiu azi. Park coa 
ARGENTINA Gerard. entac. 99 a. 
PENTAPHYLLOmEj^Arge^ p. ,^5. wildTanfy, Silver-weed. 
LightfoctFl. iicof. p. a 6 8. 
Oeder. FI. Dan. t. 544. 
RADIX perennis, ramofa, extus nigro fufca feu albida 
pro ratione aetatis, fibriUofa, defcendens. 
CAULES feu potius flagell$, plures, in longum ex- 
tenfte, teretes, geniculatae, rubicundae, pubef- 
centes, repentes. 
FOLIA fubtus villofa, albido -cinerea, fupra pubefcen- 
tia, viridia, f*pe etiam villofa, cinerea, peti- 
olata, pinnata cum impari ; foliolis feffilibus, 
oppofitis, ovalibus, incifo-ferratis ; quorum 
inferiora fenfim minora ; radicalia longius 
petiolata, procumbentia. 
STIPULAE parviufculie, ovales, acut$, in ipfo petlolo 
communi inter paria foliolorum, fuperne fef- 
files, oppolit», integerrima;, fubtus pariter 
villofe. 
PETIOLI villofi, fupra plani, bad vagina concava, 
membranacea, tenera, pubefcente, in petiolum 
utrinque decurrente. 
VAGlN.vE caulioffi, h. e fbipuls, ad genicula caulis 
foIitarijE, apice bifidae, faepe multifidae, feren- 
tes foliolum oblongum dentatum. 
FLORES pedunculatl, ex vaginis caulis flipulaccis, 
folitarii. 
PEDUNCULI teretes, villofi, uniflori, erefti. 
CALYX; Perianthium monophyllum, vlllofum, 
IO. fidum : laciniis ovatis, imbricatis, patenti 
reflexis ; quarum 5 interiores integrae, acuti- 
ufculae, ball lutefcentes ; exteriores 5 obtu- 
fiufculae, incifae.jf^. i. 
PETALA quinque, lutea, ovata, obtufa, feflilia, calyci 
inferta, jig. 2. 
STAMINA : Filamenta plurima, fubulata, lutea, 
calyci inferta, erefta ; Anther.® cordata, 
obtufej eredlae, utrinque planae. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germina plurima, ovata, obufa, alba, 
villo receptaculi circumdata ; Styli fubulati, 
germinis lateri adnati, lutefcentes, flamini- 
bus breviores, Stigmata truncata, 4.5. 
RECEPTACULUM barbatum. 
ROOT perennkL branched, externally of a dark brown 
or whitifli colour according to its age, fur- 
niibed with Imall fibres, and penetrating 
STALKS or rather runners, feveral extended toa con- 
fiderable length, _ round, jointed, reddifli, 
downy and creeping. 
LEAVES hoary on the under fide, of a whlrifh afii- 
colour, on the upper fide downv, and green, 
though fometimes alfo hoary and filverv, 
ftanding on footftalks, pinnated, with an 
odd one at the extremity; the Imall leaves 
fefTile, oppofite, oval, deeply cut in on the 
edge; the lovvermoft gradually the fmalleft ; 
the radical ones flanding on longer footflaiks 
than the others and procumbent. 
STIPULyE fmall, oval, and pointed, placed on the com- 
mon footftalk itfelf, betwixt each pair of the 
fmall leaves, above fefliie, oppofite, entire, 
underneath hoary alfo. 
LEAF-STALKS villous, flat on the upper fide, form- 
ing a (heath at the bottom, which is hollow, 
membranous, tender, downy, running down 
each fide of the leaf ftalk. 
SHEATHS of the ftalks or rather the ftipula; of the 
runners, are placed fingly at the joints, bifid 
and often multifid at tep, bearing an oblong 
indented fmall leaf. 
FLOWERS ftanding on footflaiks, 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 IO legments, which are ovate, the 
edges laying one over the other, fpreading, 
and fomewhat turned back, the 5 innermoft 
are entire, ratherpointed, yellowifli at the bale, 
the outermoft blunthh and jagged fg. i, 
PETALS five, of a yellowifh colour, ovate, obtufe, fef- 
file, twice the length of the calyx, very much 
expanded, and inferted into the Calyx./^. 2. 
STAMINA; numerousFiLAMENTS, tapering, yellow, 
inferted into the Calyx, upright ; Anther® 
heartfhaped, blunt, upright, flat on both fides. 
fig- 3 ' 
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 yellowifli colour, 
(horter than the flamina ; Stigmata trun- 
cated. fg. 4. 5. 
RECEPTACLE hairy. 
FEW plants render ihemfelves more confpicuous by the whitenefs of their leaves than the Potentilla Anferina, 
indeed its old name of Argentina was derived from this very circumftance ; it miift 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 filverv ; the 
more clayey the foil, the whiter the leaves are generally found to be. 
It is a plant which thrives moft in moift fituations, efpeclally if the foil be clayey, and the water apt to ftag- 
nate on it, in fuch fituations it may be found almoft every where about London, "flowering from July to Sep- 
tember. 
Ray informs us on very refpe£lable authority that the Boys about Settle in Yorkfliire, 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- 
lelf had been a witnefs to their being turned up and greedily devoured by fwine — it deferves the confideration of 
the farmer how far thefe animals may be render’d ufeful in this refpeft, not as to this plant only, but many others 
which are either noxious or ufelefs. 
Its medicinal virtues are wholly out of repute. 
