Potentilla Fruticosa L.

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Abstract
P. fruticosa is a sp. of scattered distribution in Britain and throughout the world. Old World plants are tetraploid, 4x = 28, and dioecious; New World plants are diploid, 2x = 14 and monoecious. P. fruticosa favors habitats liable to flooding, or where the soil is almost constantly wet. This preference is related to a liking for open unshaded conditions. In Britain it occurs on soils of a high base status. Sex ratios of populations from N. England and Oland, Sweden are approximately 2:1 female: male. In W. Ireland this ratio is reversed. Seed from N. England and W. Ireland gives a 1:1 ratio. The reasons for the divergence from this in natural populations is unknown. The sp. reproduces mainly by seed. It is suggested that its present restricted range is a result of its preference for open wet habitats, leading to its decline in the post-Glacial forest maximum.