19. PEONIA. Linn. Peony.

Cal. of five foliaceous, unequal sepals. Petals 5-10, nearly orbicular, Stamens numerous. Ovaries surrounded by a fleshy disk. Carpels 2-5, large, with thick bilamellated stigmas, and becoming capsular follicles. Seeds subglobose, shining.-Roots fasciculate. Stem-leaves biternate. Flowers ample, white, red, or purple. DC. -Named in honor of the Physician Paon, who is said with it to have cured Pluto of a wound received from Hercules.

SECT. I. MOUTAN. Stem shrubby. Disk expanded into a membranaceous cup more or less including the carpels. De Cand.

1. P. MOUTAN (Moutan, or Chinese Tree-Peony); stem shrubby, segments of the leaves oval-oblong glaucous beneath, carpels five hairy.

a. papaveracea; flore simplice. (TAB. LVII.)-Bot. Mag. ed. 1. De Cand. Prodr. v. 1. p. 65.-P. papaveracea. Bot.

t. 2175.

Rep. t. 463.

ß. Banksi; flore multiplici, capsulis plurimis. (TAB. LVIII.) -P. Moutan. Bot. Mag. ed. 1. t. 1154.

CULTURE. The Genus Paonia, one of the richest in our collections, has received great and valuable additions, not only since the publication of Miller's Dictionary, but even since Professor Martyn's edition of it, in neither of which do our two present subjects appear. These, the shrubby kinds, are propagated by layers, which is best done in the wood of the preceding year's growth, tongued and pegged firmly under the ground about three inches. And although they will, during the first year, put forth long fibres, I generally allow them to remain until October of the second year before separating them from the parent plant; their roots being then strong enough to maintain the heads so separated. These I do not consider safe to send out to any distance, until they have been bedded out in rich kitchen-garden mould for two years, when they may be removed with the greatest safety. They also may be propagated from cuttings placed in gentle heat in sand, similar to the cuttings of Camellias and other hard-wooded plants: and it is also recommended by some, to make an incision under each bud of the young shoot; and, after pegging the branch horizontally an inch under the ground,

to separate each bud thus prepared, and place them in gentle heat in pots, until they form young plants. Budding is also practised by others upon the roots of P. edulis; but these seldom succeed: and if the operation were performed on its own roots I much doubt its eligibility in common practice. The desire to possess so rare and valuable a plant was a great inducement to try every mode to propagate it; but now they are become far less scarce, we may be content with the most common and surest method, by layers; which, from established plants, will furnish a crop every two years.

I believe all the varieties which have flowered in this country at present are the produce of China: viz. the old Moutan var. ß. Banksii, var. a. papaveracea, and an unfigured one (in this work) called rosea, a semi-double rose-coloured variety; added to these, Mr. Palmer of Bromley has a variety resembling papaveracea, brought from China by his brother-in-law Captain Rawes, in which the dark spot in the lower part of the petal is deeper and more defined. I have not yet seen any of the seedlings, raised in this country, in flower; but, doubtless, they will shortly be very numerous. Of the former kinds, I possess many seedling plants in different stages of growth; and most years, from the three first, obtain good seeds; sometimes, from papaveracea, a great abundance. These, if sown as soon as gathered in the autumn, will, some of them, vegetate the following spring: but many will remain a year and more under ground and then come up: so that it is best to keep the pot in which the seeds are sown as long as the seeds appear to have any life in them.

Like all others of this Genus, the shrubby kinds delight in a deep rich loamy soil; and, thus treated, will attain to the height of ten or twelve feet in the open ground, and of great circumference in proportion: in this state, when in bloom, few plants can be considered so magnificent in our gardens. As most of the Chinese shrubs produce their flower-buds rather too early for our uncertain springs, their blossoms are sometimes injured from this cause. A few poles and mats should be in readiness for such large plants as are in the open ground, to guard them from rough winds and frosts. On this account most of the old plants are still protected with glass, as is the original plant of papaveracea, introduced by Sir Abraham Hume, Bart. at Wormleybury, Herts. The figures of these shrubby Paonias are far from having justice done them by our draftsman, they scarcely convey a good idea of the plants; the size is diminutive, and the colour far from