262 Mr: Anperson’s Monograph of the Genus Paonia. 
This is a most distinct and well-marked species, being endowed 
with one unique property, in having its flowers constantly droop- 
ing to one side. It differs also essentially from albiflora in being 
supplied with only one flower on the stem ; and from all the other 
smooth-leaved species by its smooth germens. The earliest no- 
tice of it appears in Gmelin's Flora Sibirica, published at Peters- 
burg in 1747. Though Linné does not acknowledge it in either 
edition of his Species Plantarum, it is at length admitted in the 
Mantissa. * poH 
Native of all Siberia, and frequent on the Altaic mountains. 
It was first introduced into England by the late Mr. Bell, from 
Pallas, about the year 1788, as P. laciniata, under which name it 
is described in Flora Rossica, but on its figure in the same work it 
is called sibirica. Pallas sent seeds of it to Murray as P. hetero- 
phylla; and it appears as P. quinquecapsularis in the Description 
of the Russian Empire by Georgi, who found it eastward of the 
river Ural, for we believe.this to be our plant. We must, how- 
ever, preservethe original name given by Linné, however objec- 
tionable. | 
The roots .grow to a great.size in their native state, and toge- 
ther with those of albiflora compose part of the food of the Mon- 
gol Tartars. Gmelin says the roots have a smell similar to that 
of the Florentine Iris; and Pallas compares it to that of bitter 
almonds or peach-kernels. 3 
The fleshy protuberances which surround the base of the ger- 
mens are nothing else than the perigynous membrane in another 
form, an appendage which never is entirely wanting in any of 
the: species. 
4. PxzoNrA TENUIFOLIA. 
P. foliolis multipartitis glabris lineari-subulatis, pedunculis bre- 
vissimis, germinibus tomentosis erectis. 23 
x P . tenui- 
