Tormentilla Officinalis. Tormentil. 
TORMENTILLA Lin. Gen. PL Icosandria Polygynia. 
Cal. 8-fidus. Petala 4. Sem. fubrotunda, nuda, receptaculo 
parvo exfucco affixa. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 15. Herb/e semine nudo polyspermy. 
TORMENTILLA officinalis. 
TORMENTILLA ereBa caule erefliufculo, foliis feffilibus. Lin. Sy/l. Vegetab. p. '2,00. Sp.Pl.fi. 716. 
FI. Suec. n. 459. r ' 
FRAGRARIA tetrapetala, foliis caulinis feffilibus, quinatis. Haller, hijl. n. my. 
POTENTILLA Tormentilla ereBa. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 620. 
TORMENTILLA fylveftris. Bauh. Pin. 326. 
TORMENTILLA Ger. emac. 992. vulgaris Parkinf. 394. 
Raii Syn. p. 2 57. Tormentil, SeptfoiU Hudfon FI. And. ed. 2. fi. 22s. 
Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 272. . 
RADIX crafla, tuberofa, varias magnitudinis et for- < 
mae, extus fufca, intus rubicunda. j 
CAULES pi ures ex una radice, fpithamasi et ultra, < 
procumbentes, teretes, filiformes, pilofi, in- { 
feme fimplices, etfaspe nudi, fuperne ramofi. ( 
FOLIA alterna, feffilia, amplexicauli-perfoliata, mul- \ 
tifida, utrinque parce pubefcentia, fupra fa- < 
turate viridia, laciniis obverfe lanceolatis, \ 
obtufis, fuperne latioribus, incifis, patentibus, < 
tribus exterioribus duplo longioribus. 
PEDUNCULI axillares, filiformes, elongati, uniflori, * 
nudi, pilofi. \ 
FLORES primo cernui, poftea erefli. 
CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, o&oparti- < 
tum, pubefcens, laciniis ovatis, acutis, pa- \ 
tentibus, alternis minoribus, jig. i. < 
COROLLA: Petala quatuor, lutea, obcordata, < 
plana, patentia, unguibus calyci inferta, <j 
fis- ?• „ . . i 
STAMINA: Filamenta fedecim circiter, calyci <[ 
inferta, corolla breviora; Anther.e fim- < 
plices, luteas, Jig. 3. ^ 
PISTILLUM: Germina otio circiter, glabra, fub- < 
rotunda, in capitulum conniventia, Jig. 4. ^ 
Styli filiformes, longitudine flaminum, la- i 
teri germinis inferti ; Stigmata obtufa, | 
5. au£t. <3 
RECEPTACULUM villofum. <2 
SEMINA tot quot germina, oblongiufcula, obtufa, ^ 
glabra, nuda, lutefcentia, Jig. 6. 
ROOT thick, and tuberous, various both in fize and 
fhape, externally brown, internally red. 
STALKS feveral from one root, a fpan or more in 
length, procumbent, round, filiform, hairy, 
below fimple and often naked, above branched. 
LEAVES alternate, feffile, nearly perfoliate, on each 
fide llightly pubefcent, above of a deep green 
colour, divided into many fegments, the feg- 
ments inverfely lanceolate, obtufe, broadeft 
above, ferrated on the edges, and fpreading, 
the three outermoft twice as long as the others. 
FLOWER-STALKS axillary, filiform, long, fup- 
porting one flower, naked, and hairy. 
FLOWERS at firft drooping, afterwards upright. 
CALYX : a Perianthium of one leaf, deeply di- 
vided into eight fegments, downy, the feg- 
ments ovate, pointed, alternately lea ft, 7%-. 1. 
COROLLA : four Petals, of a yellow colour, in- 
verfely heart-Ihaped, flat, fpreading, inferted 
by the claws into the calyx, Jig. 2. 
STAMINA : about fixteen Filaments, inferted into 
the calyx, ffiorter than the corolla; An- 
THERiE fimple and yellow, fig. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germina about eight, Imooth, round- 
ifh, forming a little head, Jig. 4. Styles fi- 
liform, the length of the flamina, inferted 
into the fide of the germen; Stigma blunt. 
Jig. 5. magnified. 
RECEPTACLE villous. 
SEEDS as numerous as the germina, rather oblong, 
obtufe, fmooth, naked, and yellowifh. Jig, 6. 
Tormentil is a plant of confiderable importance in rural ceconomv and medicine. 
The roots are ufed in moll of the Weftern Ifles, and in the Orkneys, for tanning of leather; in which intention 
they are proved, by fome late experiments, to be fuperior even to the oak-bark. They are firft of all boiled 
in water, and the leather afterwards fteeped in the cold liquor. In the iflands of Tirey and Col the inhabitants 
have deftroyed fo much ground by digging them up, that they have lately been prohibited the ufe of them. 
Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 272. 
Confidered medicinally. Tormentil root is a ftrong and almoft flavourlefs aftringent, and gives out its 
aftringency both to water and reftified fpirit, moft perfeftly to the latter: the watery deco&ion, of a tranf- 
parent brownilh-red colour whilft hot, becomes turbid in cooling like that of the Peruvian bark, and depofits 
a portion of refinous matter: the fpirituous tin&ure, of a brighter reddiffi colour, retains its pellucidity. 
The extracts obtained by infpiflation, are intenfely ftyptic, the fpirituous moft fo. It is generally given in 
deco&ion : an ounce and a half of the powdered root may be boiled in three pints of water to a quart, 
adding, towards the end of the boiling, a drachm of cinnamon : of the drained liquor, fweetened with an ounce 
of any agreeable fyrup, two ounces or more may be taken four or five times a day. 
We are by no means fond of changing the Linnaean names, but on the prefent occafion we are, in fome 
degree, compelled to it, from the great inconvenience we have experienced in calling a plant ereBa, which 
with us is always procumbent, unlefs drawn up by furrounding herbage, or by growing in woods, where it 
more rarely occurs. 
Its moft ufual place of growth is on heaths, moors, and mountainous paftures, where it is extremely 
common, and flowers from June to September. 
Linnaeus appears to have been induced to call this plant ereBa, by way of contrail to the Tormentilla 
reptans, which he enumerates as a fpecies : fuch a plant is certainly figured and defcribed by feveral Englilh 
Botanifts, but we never yet faw any fpecies of Tormentil with a creeping ftalk; we have obferved the common 
Tormentil vary much in fize, in the length of its branches, and in the number and fize of its petals, we 
have noticed the leaves fometimes to have foot-ftalks, and we have for feveral years cultivated a large variety 
of this plant, which from one root has extended its ftalks nearly a yard every way, and though they have 
lain dole to the ground, on a moift foil, we never could perceive the leaft tendency in them to throw out 
roots at the joints ; hence we are induced to conclude, that no other than one fpecies of Tormentil exifts. 
As the Tormentil varies with five petals, fo the Potentilla reptans has fometimes only four, and, perhaps, 
a ftarved fpecimen of the latter, originally gave rife to the Tormentilla reptans. 
This occafional variation in the number of the petals, &c. at once deftroys the generic charafter of the 
Tormentil ; for, add one-fifth part more of the fruflification to thofe which already exift in the Tormentilla, 
and you make a Potentilla of it ; or, vice verfd, take one fifth-part of the fruftification from a Potentilla, 
and it becomes a Tormentilla ; they ought furely then to form but one genus : Scopoli unites them, face- 
tioufly remarking, Monoculum Hominem ab humano genere quis feparabit : Haller joins the Potentilla, 
Tormentilla, Fragraria, and Sibbaldia, in one family. 
