"3 



little danger of crushing, and the bunches may be packed closely 

 together in large baskets. To shippers, however, at long distance 

 from a market, we would not advise the placing of their flowers 

 in cold storage for any length of time, as a long journey would be 

 ruinous to stock which was kept in this way ; but all flowers should 

 be kept in water for at least six hours before shipment." 



IV. EVOLUTION AND HORTICULTURAL CLASSIFICA- 

 TION OF THE PEONY 



In approaching this subject the writer feels the handicap of not 

 possessing herbarium material. A careful treatment of this subject 

 demands a critical examination of the types as they exist in 

 European herbaria. It would also be a great advantage if a study 

 of the wild prototypes could be made in their feral conditions, but 

 the great distance of the native habitat of the peony precludes this, 

 and the writer is left to speculate, aided solely by a few old 

 pictures (see chapter on Botany). 



With probably one exception, all the species of the genus are 

 valuable for ornamental purposes, and were introduced into cultiva- 

 tion as they were discovered. The native region of these forms 

 has been so little frequented by botanists that practically nothing 

 is known regarding the stability of the wild types in their native 

 environment. As so many genera of the family Ranunculaceae are 

 notoriously variable, the family has gained the reputation amon^ 

 systematic botanists of being a " critical " family. For this reason 

 it may be safe for us to presume that wild peonies are quite vari- 

 able. As soon as the various species of peonies were introduced 

 into cultivation, we know that they did vary most widely, and it 

 may be well here to inquire into the causes of this remarkable 

 variation. In the first place, as I have shown, the genus itself was! 

 variable in the wild and we v/ould naturally expect at least as muchl 

 variation after introduction as before. Moreover, all of the threC 

 principal causes of variation (viz., change in food supply, change! 

 in environment and hybridization) were actively at work, and we 

 would naturally expect the results which followed. When seedlings 

 were raised in Europe, they showed every imaginable shade of color 

 from the pure white of the wild type on through the pinks, reds 

 and purples to magenta. In some there was a tinge of cream, but 

 no genuine yellow was observed until P. WitUnaniana and P. lutea 

 were introduced. In fragrance, also, there was a remarkable varia- 

 tion. The seedlings of P. albiflora showed especially valuable varia- 

 tions as regards odor. 



