POTENTILLA, SILVER-WEED, wild tansy, or cinquefoil: A genus of the pentagynia order, belonging to the icofandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 35th order, Senticosa. The calyx is decemfid; there are five petals; the seeds roundish, naked, and affixed to a small dry receptacle. The species are, 1. The fruticosa, or shrubby potentilla, commonly
Potentilla, monly called shrub-cinquefoil. This rises with a short shrubby stem, dividing into a branchy full head, three or four feet high; closely garnished with pinnated leaves of five oblong, narrow, acute-pointed, folioles, pale green above, and whitish underneath; and the branches terminated by clusters of large, spreading, yellow flowers. This is a beautiful deciduous flowering shrub, worthy a place in every curious collection. It grows wild in Yorkshire and other northern parts of England, &c. but has been long cultivated in gardens as an ornamental shrub.
2. The reptans, or creeping common five-leaved potentilla, or five-leaved grass, hath a thick fibry root, slender, trailing, repent stalks, digitated, five-lobed, petiolated leaves, and yellow flowers singly.
3. The rupestris, or mountain upright cinquefoil, hath upright stalks, eight or nine inches high; pinnated five and three-lobed alternate leaves, having oval crenated lobes, and the stalks terminated by small white flowers.
4. The recta, or erect seven-lobed yellow cinquefoil, hath erect stalks, seven-lobed leaves; having three lobes spear-shaped and serrated, green and hairy on both sides, and the stalks terminated by corymbose clusters of yellow flowers.
5. The fragaroides, or strawberry-like trailing potentilla, hath a somewhat tuberous root, furnished with many long fibres, long trailing shoots, rooting at the joints; pinnated, mostly three-lobed leaves, having oval lobes, with the extreme lobe the largest, and clusters of small white flowers. This species bears a great resemblance to the small sterile strawberry plants.
6. The argentea, silvery upright potentilla, hath upright stalks, branching a foot high; and five-lobed leaves, having the lobes wedge-shaped, cut on the edges, hoary and white underneath, and the branches terminated by small yellow flowers.
All these plants flower in June and July; the flowers are composed each of five roundish petals, and about 20 stamens. They are all very hardy, and may be employed in the different compartments of the pleasure ground. Their propagation is very easy. The shrubby potentilla may be propagated abundantly by suckers, layers, and cuttings; all of which will readily grow, and make plants in one year, which after having two or three years growth in the nursery will be fit for any of the shrubbery compartments. All the herbaceous kinds may be propagated by parting the roots in autumn or spring, or by feed in any of those seasons.