POTENTIL'LA MOLLISSIMA. 
SOFT-LEAVED POTENTILLA. 
Class. Order. 
ICOSANDRIA. POLYGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
rosacea:. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration 
Introduced 
Europe ? 
18 inches 
July, Sept. 
Perennial. 
in 1832. 
No. 542. 
For derivation of Potentilla, see 385. The specific 
name, mollissima, has been chosen as descriptive of 
its soft foliage, arising from its silky villose covering. 
This very free-flowering and showy Potentilla is 
of late introduction, having been raised from seeds, 
transmitted from the Berlin garden. We have some 
doubt whether this, which has been quoted after 
Lehman, be a distinct species; it certainly ap- 
proaches near to Potentilla Thomasii of Tenore, and 
probably may be the identical plant. 
Frequent difficulties exist, from the want of living 
or dried specimens, or from variations of character, 
to prevent the determination of distinct species of 
plants ; more difficulty, however, may still be anti- 
cipated amongst the great number raised from seeds, 
ripened in Botanic Gardens. In these gardens, 
scientific arrangement is adopted, and numerous spe- 
cies of one genus are crowded together ; hence it is 
certain, that frequently one species will be fertilized 
by another, and intermediate varieties will become 
more and more numerous. 
The Potentilla mollissima ripens seeds : it re- 
quires no peculiarity of management. 
