140 
BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
has replaced it in the genus Potentilla. The plant is a perennial, and produces its dark purple flowers in July 
and August. The root, which is creeping, yields a yellow colour, and is so astringent as to be sometimes used 
in dyeing. The plant is common in peat-bogs and marshes in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, 
particularly towards the north. 
§ 3.— Petals four. 
7-—THE COMMON TORMENTIL. (Potentilla Tormentilla, Sibth.) 
Synonymes. —P. tetrapetala, Haller; Tormentilla erecta .Lin.; Specific Character.- —Stem ascending, branched. Leaves almost 
T. officinalis, Smith. sessile. Stipulas cut. (Smith.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot., t. 863 ; 2nd ed., t. 740. 
Description, &c.— This plant is very common on heaths and moors, where it produces its bright yellow 
flowers in June and July. The root, which is large, is woody and a powerful astringent. In the Orkney 
Islands it is employed to tan leather. The Laplanders use it for dyeing red. 
8.— THE TRAILING TORMENTIL. (Potentilla nemoralis, Nestl.) 
Synonymes. —P. procumbens, Sibth. ; Tormentilla reptans, Lin. Specific Character. —Stem prostrate, scarcely branched. Leaves 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 864 ; 2nd ed., t. 741; and our fig. stalked. Stipulas undivided. (Smith.) 
6, in PI. 33. 
Description, &c. —This species bears a very close resemblance to the Creeping Cinquefoil (P. reptans); 
but the runners do not root at the joints, and the flowers have generally only four petals. It is common in 
many parts of England, but it is only found in a dry, gravelly, or sandy soil. The plant is a perennial, and 
the flowers appear in June and July. 
GENUS VII. 
THE SIBBALDIA. (Sibbaldia, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA PENTAGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx concave, 5-cleft, with 5 external bracteolse. Petals 5. Stamens 5. Fruit consisting of 5 small nuts, placed upon 
a dry receptacle. Seed inverted. Herbaceous plants, with compound leaves and yellow flowers. (Lindley.) 
Description, &c. —There is only one species in this genus, viz. S. procumbens , Lin. It is a little perennial 
plant, which has only been found on the summit of the Highland mountains. The leaflets are wedge-shaped, 
with three terminal teeth ; and the flowers, which are produced in July, are of a bright yellow, but very small. 
The name of Sibbaldia was given to this plant in honour of Robert Sibbald, who wrote on the Natural History 
of Scotland in the seventeenth century, and who first published a figure of the only British species of the genus. 
It is placed in the Linnsean class Pentandria, on account of its five stamens ; and in the order Pentagynia, from 
its five styles. 
GENUS VIII. 
THE AVENS. (Geum, Lin.) 
'Lin. Syst. ICOSANDR1A POLYGYNIA. 
Generic Character. — Calyx concave, 5-cleft, with 5 external and placed upon a dry receptacle. Seed ascending. Herbaceous 
bracteola?. Petals 5. Stamens indefinite. Fruit consisting of nu- plants, with compound leaves. Flowers white or yellow. (Lindley.) 
merous small nuts, tipped with the indurated persistent naked styles, 
Description, &c.— This genus consists of hardy herbaceous plants ; the qualities of which are astringent, 
and slightly aromatic. The name of the genus is said to be derived from a Greek word signifying to give a 
