We find no trace of any by 7, and but slight indications of a ternary numeration by 3 and 9. All these American modes of reckoning may thus be reduced to the binary, by two or pairs; and the Quinary or manual by the five fingers, of which the decimal is the double, and by 20 the quadruple.
"The American Nations, Vol. I."
C. S. Rafinesque
Wild Roses Rosa Just as many members of the lily tribe show a preference for the rule of three in the arrangements of their floral parts, so the wild roses cling to the Quinary method of some primitive ancestor, a favorite one also with the buttercup and many of its kin, the geraniums, mallows, and various others.
"Wild Flowers Worth Knowing"
Neltje Blanchan et al
Light is thrown upon the extent of this Quinary organization by the fact that, in ancient Japan, time was divided into five-day periods, by official days of rest, which fell on the 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th days of each month.
"The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations"
Zelia Nuttall