P. M. 5 rosea Dec. The rosy-petaled Moutan Peony. - Flowers semidouble. Petals rose-coloured. Segments of leaves with very blunt fissures at the apex. (Don's Mill., i. 65.) Petals large, of a very deep pink. Cultivated in 1794. Identification. Dec. Prod., 1. 65.; Don's. Mill., 1. 65. This variety is much esteemed, and is at present comparatively highpriced. In G. M., xi. 79., a P. M. ròsea Courtois is mentioned, which Dr. Courtois of Belgium has stated to be distinct from the variety known in Britain by that name; and, also, that the latter is identical with P. M. rùbra Courtois. P. M. 6 ròsea semiplena. The semidouble rosy-flowered Moutan Peony. - This is described, in our Hortus Britannicus, as introduced from China in 1794; as attaining the height of 2 ft., and flowering from April to June; and as having red flowers. P. M. 7 rosea plena Hort. Trans. The double-rosy-flowered Moutan Peony Flowers very double, of a fine deep pink, nearly scentless. Petals jagged. (Don's Mill., i. p.65.) Introduced from China in 1804. It flowers from April to June. (Hort. Brit.) Identification. Hort. Trans., 6. p. 477. Synonymes. P. suffruticosa Andr. Bot. Rep. Engravings. Andr. Bot. Rep., t. 373.; Bonpl. Pl. Rar., t. 23. P. M. 8 Rawèsii Hort. Trans. Rawes's Moutan Peony. - Flowers single, pale, slightly tinged with pink. The foliage much resembles that of a herbaceous peony. (Don's Mill., i. 65.) First cultivated in 1820. Identification. Hort. Trans., 6. 479.; Don Mill., 1. 65. P. M. 9 cárnea plèna Hort. Trans. The flesh-coloured double-flowered Moutan Peony.· Flowers very double, of a delicate_purplish pink, with a rich purple rayed spot at the top of each. It is very like P. M. var. Bánks, but has not the central elongated petals of that variety. (Don's Mill., i. 65., with adaptation.) Identification. Hort. Trans., 6. p. 481.; Don's Mill., 1. 65. P. M. 10 álbida plena Hort. Trans. The whitish double-flowered Moutan Peony. Flowers double, very pale, suffused with purple. (Don's Mill., i. 65.) Identification. Hort Trans., vol. 6. p. 482.; Don's Mill., 1. p. 65. P. M. 11 Anneslei Hort. Trans. Annesley's (the family name of the Identification. Hort. Trans., 6. p. 482.; Don's Mill., 1. 65. P. M. 12 lácera Lindl. The cut-petaled Moutan Peony. Engraving. Bot. Reg., 1771. Expected Varieties. Those mentioned under P. M. 2 variegata, above, as raised by the Earl of Mount Norris. A yellow-flowered variety is mentioned by Mr. Main (G.M., ii. p. 423.), as having been imported by Gilbert Slater Esq., in 1794, and which died. The Chinese pretend to have a black-flowered variety, and a double blue one, which is only possessed by the emperor, and which is said to have from 100 to 1000 petals.-It is recommended to those who wish to import plants from Canton, to furnish themselves with good Chinese drawings of the varieties they wish to obtain; and to send these to an agent or collector. Mr. Main also recommends adding to the drawing the Chinese character for the variety, if it can be procured. The word moutan is written in Chinese as in fig. 30. Description. The Pæònia Moútan, in a sheltered situation, will attain the height of from 6 ft. to 10 ft. in ten years; and no plant can be a more gorgeous ornament of the garden than such a bush, abounding 牡 30 丹 as it does in leaves, striking from their branched character and numerous segments, and in very magnificent flowers, of extraordinary size: both leaves and flowers being produced early in the spring. Geography, History, &c. P. Moútan appears to have been first observed by Europeans in the gardens at Canton, where, however, it is neither indigenous nor propagated; but the plants are brought by the commercial gardeners of the provinces of Nan-Kin and Ho-Nan, where it is a native, and sold by them to the merchants and others possessing gardens at Canton. From Chinese drawings, and from the extravagant praises bestowed upon this plant in the Mémoires sur la Chine, published by the missionaries, an ardent desire was excited, in Sir Joseph Banks and others, to import plants into England; and, previously to 1786, Sir Joseph Banks engaged Mr. Duncan, a medical gentleman attached to the East India Company's service, to procure a plant for the royal garden at Kew, where it was first received, through Mr. Duncan's exertions, in 1787. (See Gard. Mag., ii. p. 424.) Various plants have since been imported by different individuals, mostly of the common sort (P. M. Bánks”), but including also some of the varieties which have been enumerated above. In 1803, the P. Moútan was introduced into France, and various other parts of the continent of Europe, having been sent from the Hammersmith Nursery to the garden of Malmaison. Soil and Situation. On its first importation this plant was grown in sandy peat; but it has since been found to thrive best in deep rich loamy soil. An open situation is preferable, both on account of maturing the wood and leaves, and for displaying the flowers to advantage; but the plant must be sheltered from the north and east, or other cold spring winds, unless it is intended to cover it, when it is in flower, with a movable glass, or canvass, case. The protection given to this plant is necessary, not so much to prevent it from being injured during winter (for it will bear the winters of Paris without any protection, if the wood has been properly ripened), as to protect the tender leaves and flowers when they first appear, in April and May, from being blackened by the frost. Mr. Curtis finds, at Glazenwood in Essex, that by giving the plants no protection whatever, they flower somewhat later than if protected; and this slight retardation, in his part of the country, is sufficient, in most years, to prevent the flowers from being injured by frost. In severe weather, however, when they are in flower, he protects them with poles and mats. (Curt. Bot. Mag., vol. i. p. 26., 1833, new edit.) Properties and Uses. The whole plant possesses narcotic and poisonous qualities, which are common to the genus. No use, however, is made of the ligneous species, but as an ornamental flowering shrub, as which, it is needless to say, it holds the very first rank. Propagation and Culture. The Chinese are said to propagate this plant by seeds, in order to procure new varieties; but they also multiply it by parting the roots, and by layers and cuttings; and it is said that " they generally inoculate the buds of different varieties upon the several branches of the same colour. When the time of flowering approaches, they carefully remove all the superfluous buds, in order to strengthen those which they intend to expand; and these they also protect from the scorching heat of the sun." (Kæmp.Amœn. Exotica, p. 862.) In Britain the tree peony is propagated by seeds, by division of the root, by grafting, by summer budding, by layers, by cuttings, and by single winter buds. Seeds. These are occasionally ripened by plants bearing single or semidouble flowers. Mr. Curtis finds that seeds are produced by P. M. papaveràcea in abundance. In England, plants were first raised in this way from P. M. papaveracea, at Arley Hall, the seat of the Earl of Mount Norris. They have since been raised at several other places; and, among these, at Glazenwood, where the seeds are sown as soon as gathered in the autumn, and while some of them vegetate in the following spring, many of them remain a year or more before they come up. At Hinchingbrook, it was found that the seeds did not germinate till eighteen months after sowing. (Bot. Reg., 1771.; Gard. Mag., xi. p. 418.) Division of the Root. This operation is so simple, that it is unnecessary to describe it. When the wounds made are large, it may be advisable to sear them, or to cover them with grafting wax. It is necessary, for the success of each divided portion of the main root, that some fibrous roots should be attached to it when taken off. Grafting. This operation is performed on the roots of herbaceous peonies, at any time from the beginning of September to the middle of March. Select some good tubers of P. officinalis, or of any other hardy herbaceous kind, and take off cuttings of P. Moútan papaveràcea, or any other tree peony that it is desired to increase. Then slit the tuber from the crown downwards about two inches; form the scion like a wedge; insert it into the slit of the tuber, and make the barks fit on one side as exactly as possible; then bind them well together with strands of good bast matting; over which put one turn of brass wire, to prevent the parts from separating after the strands of bast have decayed. Put the tubers into pots deep enough to allow the mould to cover the top of each tuber; set them in a cold frame or pit; keep them close, rather dry, and defended from the sun during the first month, and from frost during winter. When they have perfected one season's growth, turn them out, and treat them like established plants. (Gard. Mag., iii. p. 293.) We are not aware of any ligneous variety of peony having been grafted on any other variety of ligneous peony. Budding. This mode, it is stated by Kæmpfer, as quoted above, is practised by the Chinese, which is the more remarkable, as grafting is said to have been unknown to that people till lately. We do not doubt its practicability, though we have never seen it tried. By Layers. These are made of wood of the preceding year's growth, either in autumn or spring; and tongued and pegged firmly under the soil, between 2 in. and 3 in. They will throw down roots the first year; but it is generally found desirable, to let them remain two years before separating them from the stool. When they are taken off, they should be potted, and kept in pots till wanted for final planting. By Ringing, by Buds, and by Cuttings. The following directions for these modes of propagation are taken from Maund's Botanic Garden:-"In February select any of the stems of the Pæònia Moútan, or all may be used; and, at the distance of half an inch from the centre of each bud, both above and below it, cut out entirely round the stem a small ring of the bark, rather more than the sixteenth of an inch wide, in the manner of common ringing, as practised on fruit trees. Thus every bud will occupy one inch of the stem, where the direct continuation of the bark is obstructed, both above and below, by the rings which have been cut out of it. The stems, so prepared, are then to be laid horizontally about 3 in. beneath the soil, leaving only the leading bud at the end of each branch above the surface. In six months every bud will have made a vigorous shoot, and, in general, will have two radical fibres at its base. In August, remove the soil from above the layers; and, having raised the newly made roots, carefully separate each young shoot from the main layer, by passing a small knife from one ring to the other, cutting out about one third part of the old stem. The young plants should then be immediately potted, to remain till they are required for planting out in their final situations. After thus gathering the first crop of young plants, the old layers should be again covered with good soil, and, left as before; and, in the following summer, a second and greater crop of plants will be produced than in the first season; and, what is most remarkable, they will issue from various parts of the stem, where no trace of a bud was previously indicated. Again, if a stem be detached from the parent plant, and treated as described above, and then laid in soil in a pine-pit or stove, it will shoot almost as freely as if connected with the original root." Cuttings. "In another experiment, cuttings of about an inch in length were made of the Pæònia Moutan, in the manner of vine cuttings, having one bud on each, and about half of the stem behind the bud slit up, and the pith removed. These were put 3 in. deep in pots of soil, and plunged into an exhausted bark-bed, having a temperature of about 60°. In the space of two months, these cuttings made young shoots through the soil, and grew freely." (Bot. Gard.) Nursery Culture. Stools are planted in the London nurseries, either in coldpits, or in the open ground, to be slightly protected during winter; and, when these have been two or three years established, they throw up abundance of shoots every year, which are laid down, either with or without the ringing process described above, in autumn, or early in spring, and taken off in about a year or two years afterwards. As the tree peony does not transplant well, from the length of its descending roots, and the paucity of their fibres, plants should always be kept in pots, by which means, instead of suffering from removal, they will be improved by it. Final Culture. The plant has always the best effect when placed singly on a lawn, or in a border, in such a manner as that it may become an orbicular bush, free on all sides. As it is of slow growth, it requires little or no winter pruning, except for the removal of dead or injured wood; but in spring, it is desirable to thin out the embryo blossoms, as soon as they can be distinguished, so as to leave no more than what the plant can bring to a high degree of perfection; and so as not to injure any part of the embryo foliage. The plant has been tried against a wall; but in such a situation the heat appears too great for it in summer. It succeeds well in a conservatory or in a cold-pit. South of London, and in most parts of Ireland, it thrives perfectly well in the open air; though in the latter country it requires a slight roof to be thrown over it while it is in flower. Accidents, Diseases, &c. The shoots are liable to be killed back by the winter's frost, especially after a wet summer, when they have not ripened thoroughly. In spring, the leaves and blossoms are liable to be blackened, when the plants are not protected by a slight covering stretched over them horizontally during frosty nights. A piece of thin muslin, canvass bunting, or woollen netting, stretched over a wooden frame, formed like an hood, would be quite sufficient for this purpose, and the trouble of covering the plant would not be great. The bitter quality of the leaves prevents them from being attacked by many insects; though the blossom buds are sometimes punctured by them. Statistics. One of the largest tree peonies within ten miles of London stood, till lately, in the grounds at Spring Grove, where it was planted by Sir Joseph Banks. It was 6 ft. or 8 ft. high, and formed a bush 8 ft. or 10 ft. in diameter in 1825. South of London, there are equally large plants at Rook's Nest, near Godstone, Surrey, which were planted in 1818. North of London, the largest plant in the country (P. M. papaveracea) is at the seat of Sir Abraham Hume, at Wormleybury, in Hertfordshire. It is 7 ft. high, and forms a bush 14 ft. in diameter, after having been planted thirty years. It stands the winter, in general, very well; but, if the flower-buds swell too early in February, it becomes advisable to cover the plant slightly with a mat. In the year 1835, this plant perfected 320 flowers; but it has been known to bear three times that number. In most parts of Scotland, the tree peony will grow with protection, and near the sea coast nearly as well as in England. The largest plants are at Hopeton House, and in Dalkeith Park. In Ireland, the plant attains a large size with little or no protection, as will appear by the notice of one 12 ft. high at Lord Ferrard's, already given in p. 109. Commercial Statistics. Soon after the tree peonies were imported from China, they began to be propagated in the nurseries, and the price was, at first, ten guineas a plant. In 1820 the price had fallen to six guineas, and in 1825 to two guineas. Price in 1836, in London, from 3s. 6d. to 10s.; at Bollwyller, where it is a conservatory plant, from 10 francs to 30 francs; and in New York, ?. GENUS II. XANTHORHIZA L. THE YELLOW ROOT. Lin. Syst. Polyándria Mono-Tri-gýnia. Gen. Char. Calyx of 5 deciduous sepals. Petals 5. Carpels 2-3-seeded, but usually solitary from abortion. (Don's Mill., i. p. 65.) There is only one species known. X. APIIFO`LIA L'Herit. The Parsley-leaved Yellow Root. Identification. Lin. Gen., 1581.; Lam. Ill., 854.; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 65.; Don's Mill, 1. p. 65. Synonymes. Xanthorhiza apiifolia; Zanthorise à Feuilles de Persil, Fr.; Sellerie-blättrige Gelbwurz, Ger. Derivation. From the Greek words zanthos, yellow, and rhiza, a root, applied from the deep yellow colour of the roots. The French name needs no explanation; and the German is a literal translation of the English one. Engravings. Lam. Ill., t. 854; L'Hér. Stirp. Nov., p. 79. t. 38.; Bot. Mag., 1736.; E. of Pl., 3993. ; and our fig. 31. Description. A small shrub with yellow creeping roots, throwing up numerous suckers; with irregularly pinnate leaves, branched racemes, and small purplish flowers, which are usually unisexual from abortion, rising from the scaly buds. (Don's Mill., adapted.) The flowers appear early in May, and continue a month or upwards before they drop off. We have never heard of its ripening seeds in Europe. Nevertheless, this may have often occurred, and been overlooked, from the inconspicuousness of the shrub, and the smallness of its fruit. Geography, History, &c. Found on shady banks of rivers from Virginia to Georgia, where it flowers in May. It was first described by L'Héritier, and introduced in England, about 1776, by John Bush. It is so readily propagated by suckers, of which it throws up a great number, that it is in most botanic gardens, though, from having no great show in a shrubbery, it is seldom met with in private collections. To us it appears a plant of very great interest, from the uncommon colour of its elegant panicles of flowers, their early appearance in spring, and the finely divided light green leaves, which succeed them. The plant is of so limited a habit of growth, that under no circumstances do we suppose that it would rise higher than 3 ft. or 4 ft., which height it attains in three or four years; but it spreads by its suckers, which, though they are numerous, do not come up at a great distance from the stem. As the shoots are not liable to be killed by frost, and never require pruning, it forms a desirable bush for a shady moist situation. Its roots afford abundance of deep yellow juice; but they have hitherto not been used in dyeing; probably, because there are already so many plants, which grow more rapidly, that afford a yellow colour. Plants are so seldom asked for in the nurseries, that the name of this shrub is seldom to be found in the catalogues. Price, in London, 1s. 6d.; at Bollwyller, ?; and in New York, 25 cents. |