And earthward bent thy gentle eye,
Unapt the passing view to meet,
When loftier flowers are flaunting nigh,
would seem to apply more correctly to the round-leaved, V. rotundifolia, than to the downy violet, for although its large, flat shining leaves are somewhat conspicuous, its flowers are borne singly on a low scape, which would be less apt to attract notice than the tall, leafy flowering stems of the other.
Common Cinquefoil. Five Finger.
Potentilla Canadensis. Rose Family.
Stem.—Slender, prostrate, or sometimes erect. Leaves.—Divided really into three leaflets, but apparently into five by the parting of the lateral leaflets. Flowers.—Yellow, growing singly from the axils of the leaves. Calyx.—Deeply five-cleft, with bracts between each tooth, thus appearing ten-cleft. Corolla.—Of five rounded petals. Stamens.—Many. Pistils.—Many in a head.
From spring to nearly midsummer the roads are bordered and the fields carpeted with the bright flowers of the common cinquefoil. The passer-by unconsciously betrays his recognition of some of the prominent features of the Rose family by often assuming that the plant is a yellow-flowered wild strawberry. Both of the English names refer to the pretty foliage, cinquefoil being derived from the French cinque feuilles. The generic name, Potentilla, has reference to the powerful medicinal properties formerly attributed to the genus.
Shrubby Cinquefoil. Five Finger.
Potentilla fruticosa. Rose Family.
Stem.—Erect, shrubby, one to four feet high. Leaves.—Divided into five to seven narrow leaflets. Flowers.—Yellow, resembling those of the common cinquefoil.
