20. POTENTILLA. Linn. gdn. p. 255 ; Juss. gen. p. 338.
PotentiUa & Tormentilla, Linn. Potentilla, Nestl. # Lehm. excl. Comarum.
Calyx concave at the bottom, deeply 4-5-cleft, with 4-5 alternate exterior
segments or bracteoles. Petals 4-5, obtuse or obcordate, deciduous. Stamens
numerous, inserted into the margin of the usually hairy disk which
lines the base of the calyx : filaments filiform or subulate. Ovaries numerous,
collected into a head on the flatfish persistent dry villous receptacle :
styles either lateral or nearly terminal, deciduous : stigmas obtuse or somewhat
capitate : ovule always inserted next the insertion of the style, and accordingly
either suspended or ascending. Achenia numerous. Radicle
always superior.—Herbaceous or suffruticose plants, with pinnately or pal-
mately compound leaves. Stipules of the lower leaves adnate to the petiole.
Flowers solitary or cymose, yellow or white, rarely red or purple.
I T 8 S?me in ^ p e c t to the style seem to have escaped notice hitherto. and ovule, which
§ 1. Style terminal or nearly so, or inserted above the middle of the ovary:
seed anatropous, suspended or pendulous.—E vfotisntu.i.a.
obvious sections' w ! * COraPrises bJ far the greater part of the genus, contains two
w i t h r f X h S ^ S i Potentillastrdm, Sennge (excl. spec.), including the species
lTw flowers an J PF (WhlCh " e so“ ct,raes hairy at the insertion) and mostly yel-
low flowers. and Fragariastrum, Sen n g e (excl. spec.), including those with vil
or'reddish'flowers^^Th * * recePtacKle..beiDg aIs° densely villous, and chiefly white
N o rth lm e r ic a 0 ^ 7 ° P ’ ™ no true species of the latter section in
acters uk«n l;'e fl for™«r m.ght perhaps be best subdivided by means of char.
P recta and thc H T ,fir ■ P I ?Thich in P ‘ Pennsy>vanica and all its allies,
rather fl’eshv species, P. Norvegica, supina and many others, is short,
hy o r,P®rhaPs glandular, and thicker at the base where it is articulated*
S d thees r cL mo t°Vary’mr iS 1“ p - verna, aurea, C a n a "
8isten nnt ? h ;T / K <;'nb ln^ theS°’ the sty le is Ionger. filiform, and more perl
rne“ oV the ovarv A 7 7 attf nuated at the base- and inserted below the
tthheeBsee aanndd tthLe, pnrrepcLedri ng ffo" rm7s : ■aSnfdiK P&.r taA. nsseenreisn am iasJ i nhtoewrmevederia btee itnra csetrdu cbteutrwe ebeen
o ^ fe s Ttoacnh a™ T Wf S lT 8!* Styles’ and ascending nearly orthotr^ous
tftntillfl ic ai ° f ; St? le lateral and seed suspended, generally given to Polateral,
the seed zs ascending— All fo°urr W sphe6cnieeVs eorf thisi usseecrttifoonn hoafv teh ey se^llol ewL f ldoeweeprlsy
* Annual or biennial (achenia mostly striate or ribbed).
1. P. Norvegica (Linn,): hirsute; stem erect, at length dichotomous
above ; leaves palmately 3-foliolate, the cauline ones on very short petioles-
leaflets obovate-obiong, the uppermost lanceolate, coarsely and in 2 e ly serrate
, stipules ovate-lanceolate, mostly entire; cyme leafy; the alar pedicels
elongated; calyx-segments longer than the obovate emarginate (paleyellow)
’ acb^“ a ™g°se-costate or striate, sometimes almost evlxi.—Linn. '
spec.l.p. 449 ; FI Dan. 1.171; Michx. I ft. 1. p. 302 ; DC. ! 1. c .; Hook. I
l. e .; Darlmgt.! JL Cest. p. 303. , |
0. stem less branched, leafy ; petals very pale yellow.—P. Monsneliensis
D ^ .) Lc. hlrSUta’ Mlchx' ! I' c‘ P ttrsh /l.e . ; Hook. ! 1. c. T E o £
Pastures, road-sides, and waste places throughout the Northern and Middle
States ! as a weed ; also in S. Carolina, Elliott; apparently introduced ;
but indigenous in the northern part of New York! and throughout Canada !
to Labrador! Arctic America, Oregon, Norfolk Sound! and Sitcha. July-
Aug.—Neither the mode of growth, nor the toothing of the leaves furnish any
constant character to distinguish the P. hirsuta. The achenia in some specimens
are almost even, in others strongly striate-rugose or ribbed ; but both
forms occur as well in the true P. Norvegica as in the P. hirsuta. Koch describes
the radical leaves as pinnate with 2 pairs ; but this we have never
observed.
2. P. rivalis (Nutt. ! mss.) : “ clothed with soft somewhat viscous pubescence;
stem erect, much branched ; radical leaves pinnately 5-foliolate ; the
leaflets crowded, and the 3 upper ones confluent; those of the cauline leaves
3, often confluent, oblong, cuneiform at the base, coarsely serrate ; stipules
ovate, nearly entire ; flowers numerous, small, on rather short pedicels;
calyx-segments acute ; petals inconspicuous ; achenia smooth and even.
“ In alluvial soil alongthe Lewis River.” July.—A very distinct species,
allied to P . Norvegica. Cauline leaves small. Flowers inconspicuous.
3. P. paradoxa (Nutt.! mss.): “ decumbent at the base; pubescent; leaves
pinnate ; leaflets 7-9, obovate-oblong, incised, the upper ones confluent; stipules
ovate, mostly entire; peduncles [alar] solitary, recurved in fruit;
calyx-segments all nearly equal, acute, about the length of the obovate petals
; receptacle villous; achenia striate, 2-lobed ; the lower portion (the enlarged
base or insertion filled with starch) as large as the proper carpel.
P. supina, Michx. jl. L p. 304 ; Hook. 1. c .; not of Linn."
Banks of the great western rivers, the Ohio ! Mississippi! Missouri ! &e.
to Oregon. (Nuttall)—-We observe the curious deposition of starchy matter at
the base of the carpels, pointed out by Mr. Nuttall, forming, as it were, a kind
of albumen exterior to the seed: but otherwise our plant minutely resembles
the European, and especially the Siberian forms of P. supina ; except that it
is usually smaller, and Mr. Nuttall suspects it to be perennial.
* * Perennial (achenia smooth) : leaves pinnate ; the leaflets sometimes crowded
or almost palmate.
4. P. sericea (Linn.) : flowering stems ascending, 1-2-leaved, few-flowered
; leaflets 9-11, crowded, oblong, pinnatifid, silky-tomentose on both
sides, whitish beneath ; stipules lanceolate, mostly entire.—Lehm. ! Pot. p.
66, i. 6 ; DC.! prodr. 2 .p. 582. P. dasyphylla, Ledeb.jl. Alt. ?
0. glabrata (Lehm.): older leaves much less tomentose.—Lehm.! in
Hook. jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 189.
Rocky Mountains between latitude 52° and 56°, Drummond! (0. only)
—A Siberian species.
5. P. effusa (Dougl.) : canescently tomentose ; stem ascending, weak;
leaves interruptedly pinnate ; leaflets oblong, incisely serrate ; flowers di-
chotomously cymose ; stipules lanceolate, acuminate, entire ; segments of the
calyx acuminate; equalling the obcordate. petals.—Lehm. ! stirp. pug. 2. p.
8, Sf in Hook. l. c.
0. jilicaulis (Nutt. ! mss.): “ flowering stems filiform (about 3 inches
high), few-flowered ; leaflets unequally incised.”
y. gossypina (Nutt.! mss.): “ very tomentose and soft; stem nearly erect,
leafy; leaflets incisely but not deeply serrate.”
On the Assiniboin River, &c., Douglas ! 0. Rocky Mountains towards
the sources of the Platte, Nuttall! July.—Stem about a foot high. Brae*