Potentina pensylvanica, L.

11. P. pensylvanica L. , Mantissa 76 (1767).

Perennial. Flowering stems 15-80 cm, grey-pubescent. Leaves pinnate; leaflets (5—)7—19, 20-70 x 8-20 mm, oblong or lanceolate, coarsely toothed or pinnatifid, green or grey. Flowers numerous. Sepals oblong-lanceolate; epicalyx-segments linear-lanceolate, as long as sepals. Petals 8-12 mm, yellow, as long as or longer than sepals. Style conical-filiform. C. & S. Spain; S. W. Alps; S. Ural; N. W. Russia. Ga Hs It Rs (N, C,?E).

This species extends to Asia and N. America and is very variable, especially in indumentum, leaflet-dissection and petal-size. The European populations can to some extent be distinguished from each other, but it is possible to match all of these with individuals from various parts of Asia and North America. It is therefore impossible to reach any satisfactory conclusion as to the status of the European populations without undertaking a complete revision of the whole complex. The taxa generally recognized in Europe are P. pennsylvanica L. sensu stricto ( P. strigosa Pallas ex Ledeb. , P. sibirica T. Wolf ), from S.W. Alps, N.W. Russia and S. Ural, with the leaflets coarsely toothed, green and pubescent beneath and the petals about equalling the sepals; P. conferta Bunge in Ledeb., FI. Altaica 2: 240 (1830) ( P. sibirica var. pectinata T. Wolf ), from S. Ural, with the leaflets pinnatifid and grey-tomentose beneath and the petals about equalling the sepals; P. hispanica Zimmeter , Gatt. Potent. 7 (1884), from C. & S. Spain, with the leaflets usually grey-tomentose beneath and the petals at least 1 | times as long as the sepals.