89 



P. Russi, Bivou., a native of Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia, and Algeria. 



P. triternata, Pallas., a native of the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and 

 the Crimea. 



P. broteri, Boiss., is a native of the mountains and sub-Alpine 

 regions of Spain and Portugal. It was flowered for the first time 

 in England by Peter Barr at Tooting, in 1886. (Anderson, 18 17, and 

 Baker, 1884). 



Growth in Popularity 



Having outlined the history of the species which were in the 

 gardens of Europe and in the hands of the herbalists in the eigh- 

 teenth century, let us now inquire into the early development of 

 this plant as a popular flower. Perhaps one of the first men to 

 raise seedlings, and after due selection ofifer them as named sorts, 

 was M. Lemon of the Porte St. Denis, Paris, who about 1824 

 raised a lot of seedlings of P. oMcinalis, from which came grandi- 

 flora nivea, Sinensis odorata and anemoneiiora alba. About this 

 same time, M. Jacques, gardener to King Louis Philippe at Neuilly, 

 having begun with P. paradoxa, produced Umbriata sanguinea plena. 

 Later his collection passed to his nephew, M. Victor Verdier of 

 Paris, who about 1838 sent out several of the tested seedlings to 

 Jacques. Modeste Guerin of Paris made rapid strides from 1835, 

 sending out about 1837-8 such good varieties as Modeste Guerin, 

 Duchesse de Nemours, Mme. Furtado and the fine dark crimsons 

 which owed their origin to Pottsi. (Paul, 1890). 



Quoting further from Paul, 1890: "In 1840, the Prince de 

 Salm Dyck possessed a rich collection of peonies, writes M. Le- 

 moine, which I saw in 1842 in his establishment at Soulange Bodin, 

 near Paris ; but it was only about 1845 ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^"^ ^^^ double 

 varieties were sent out from the Paris establishment. The princi- 

 pal and latest raiser was M. Calot of Douai, (Nord) who inherited 

 a large collection from an amateur, the Comte de Cussy, and con- 

 tinued the collection and production of seedlings till 1872, when 

 his collection passed into tl^e han'^s of M. Crousse of Nancy. The 

 latter's careful selection of varieties, sent out in an annual series 

 from that date till 1879, and subsequently his own seedlings from 

 1 882-1 889, have brought our collections up to the high standard 

 which the varieties composing them have attained. Calot's plants 

 were very successful, for many of them still dominate the market; 

 such are Mme. Calot, Jules Calot, Souv. de Gaspard Calot, Mme. 

 Crousse, Livingstone, Felix Crousse, Modele de Perfection, and 

 Mme. Geissler. 



