On Thu, 10 Apr 2003 08:46:34 -0500, "Guy Bradley"
wrote:

Please help me identify a small shrub which I planted last fall.
Unfortunately, I don't have the capability of putting photographs on
the internet, so I'll just have to describe.

The plant grew originally in West Virginia. My mother had this in her
yard and said the original plant came from the house where she grew
up, also in West Virginia (both in the northern part, about 50 mi.
south of the PA border). I live in Missouri, zone 6, St. Louis area.

The plant is obviously a woody shrub. At present it is only about two
feet high, but I'm told than when old it can get five or six feet high
and spread as wide. It has already leafed out and bloomed. First bloom
was about two weeks ago.

The blooms are a nice lemon yellow, five petals, flat configuration
and about 1/2" across. They have a sweet fragrance, which is perhaps
why my mother calls it "spice bush". The leaves are small, no more
than 3/4" long, and cut in three segments, joined at a common end,
like fingers. The fingers are deeply cut, much more than, for example,
sassafras. The edges are smooth. Color is dark green.

The closest thing I can find in my books is Potentilla, but the
contrast might be informative. Potentilla blossoms are larger and the
petals are rounded and overlap. My petals are narrow and don't overlap
at all. Potentilla leaves are also cut, but I believe they have five
segments (cinquefoil), not three like this plant. Also, the color on
Potentilla is pale yellow, while these are a pretty strong color.

Doing the reverse, that is, searching on 'spice bush' may eliminate
that possibility -- the examples I found, text and photos, mentioned
red or red-brown blossoms.

web photos -- digital camera is the easiest way, and like most
electronica, they're getting cheaper all the time. If you can take a
regular ol' film photo, cultivate neighbors who might have a scanner
to digitize it for you. (Many plant specimens can be scanned directly,
if you're willing to clean the glass/plastic very carefully and gently
afterward.)

Someone can probably list the characteristics that are most helpful in
identifying a plant -- stem shape, leaves opposite or alternate,
number of petals & arrangement (as you have noted), etc.

Hey, C+10 -- how 'bout a small monograph on the subject?