C 597 ]
A L C H E M I L L A vulgaris.
Common Ladies Mantle.
T E T R A N D R l A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Cal. in 8 fegments. Cor. none. Seed i,
naked.
Spec. Char. Leaves lobed, plaited.
Syn . Alchemilla vulgaris. Linn. Sp. PL 178. Hud/.
7 1 . With. 204. Hull. 3 7 . Relh. 68. Sibth. 6i<
Hbbot. 36. t. i .
Alchimilla. Rail Syn. 158.
A N A TIV E of dry and rather mountainous paftures, iri
which it often conftitutes a great part of the herbage, flowering
from the end of May to Auguft.
The root is woody and perennial, with fibres running deep
into the ground. Stems more or lefs procumbent, alternately
branched, round, hairy, leafy. Radical leaves on long foot-
ftalks, large, roundifh, many lobed, plaited, ferrated, more of
lefs hairy, efpecially beneath. The verdure of their upper1
furface is remarkably fine. The ftem-leaves are much fmaller,
almoft feffile, conne&ed with a pair of large toothed ftipula;,
which embrace the Hem, and the upper leaves gradually dimi-
nifh into bra£tese. Flowers in terminal corymbofe clufters,
numerous, green, downy, their centre yellow. Stru&ure of the
flower much as in A . alpina, fee t. 244. Style generally Angle,
with a capitate ftigma; but fometimes there are 2 llyles, and
in that cafe 2 feeds.
The A . minor o f Hudfon’ s firft edition feems a trivial variety}
more downy than the common kind, from growing in more!
expofed places.
“ Of all our natives,” fays Mr. Abbot with an amiable degree
of enthufiafm, “ this is the moll elegant plant.” Various
circumftances often combine to attach a botanift to fome particular
favourite, and give it for him almoft an exclufive charm.
Haller was enamoured with AJlrantia major; Linnseus with
Trientalis europcea, and Melampyrum nemorojiim. I f I were to
avow a limilar partiality, it would be in favour of Geum rivale.