Annual or biennial herbs. Stem prostrate, or ascending, slender. Basal leaves 2-3 pinnate, upper leaves 5-foliate, digitate, petioles 3-7 cm. long, thin and filiform, sparsely pilose. Basal stipules adnate, ferrugineus, pilose, auricles linear-lanceolate, upper stipules oblong-lanceolate, entire and green. Leaflets 0.5-1.5 x 0.3-0.8 cm., obovate, sparsely pilose, deeply and irregularly incised, teeth obtuse. Flowers small 5-6.5 mm. diam. Sepals pilose, subequal, outer oblong-obtuse, inner broadly ovate-acute. Petals very small, 0.8-1.2 x 0.4-0.7 mm. yellow, rounded at the top. Stamens about 20. Carpels numerous, styles subterminal, small, up to 0.6 mm, uniformely thickened. Achenes small, 0.5-0.6 mm long.

Type: Indiae orientalis, Roth (PR).

F-5 Sind, Shikarpur, in shades along wet soil near water channel, S.M.H.Jafri 1625 (K).

Distribution: Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, China (Yunan to Armur), Korea and Soviet Far East.

A rare species, collected at lower elevations up to 600 m.

Potentilla heynii Roth. is treated under Potentilla supine L. in most of the Indian regional floras. It differs however, from Potentilla supine in number of characters i.e. up to 3-pinnate or plamate lower stem leaves, smaller petals (up to 1.2 mm. long) which are rounded above, uniformely thichened styles and smaller achenes (up to 0.7 mm. long). Potentilla supine has generally more than 3-pinnate lower stem leaves which are never palmate, bigger petals (up to 3.5 mm long) which are retuse above with coniform styles and bigger achenes (up to 0.9 mm long).