Mr. Anderson's Monograph of the Genus Paonia. 2,51 



questionable, are noticed as such in their proper places. I have 

 rejected many synonyms of the old authors, from motives of cau- 

 tion : but I am inclined to believe that every species enumerated 

 by them refers to some one or other of the plants h«re recorded. 



It was deemed necessary to be more particular in describing 

 the varieties than is cnstoinary in a scientific paper; not only be- 

 cause some of these may hereafter turn out to be distinct species, 

 but also with a view to render the tract useful to cultivators as 

 well as to botanists ; and by referring each plant at present known 

 to the old authors, in all cases in Avhich they can be foUovced, to 

 guard in future, as much as possible, against the confusion which 

 their inaccuracies have produced, 



I have rejected the folium ternatum in the specific characters, 

 as being common to the whole : and for the same reason I have 

 avoided in the descriptions the repetitions of such terms as caulis 

 uniflorus, caulis angulafus, petioli supra canaliculati. The number 

 of stamina is also omitted, as being very indefinite. 



There are two parts, however, in the organization of the Paeonies, 

 which appear to me to deserve more attention than has been paid 

 to them ; but they attracted my notice when it was too late for 

 tne to avail myself of them : viz. the shape and number of the 

 stipulae attached to the caudex, and the form and structure of the 

 perigynous substance which belongs to all the species. These 

 may perhaps hereafter form important objects for specific distinc- 

 tion. 



All the species hitherto known are confined to the northern he- 

 misphere, and no one has yet been found in any part of America. 

 They belong to cold climates. Some species indeed are indige- 

 nous in the south of Europe ; but they grow upon elevated situ- 

 ations. They are, as far as has yet been tried, sufficiently hardy 

 to stand our winter unprotected. 



2 K 2 PiEONLE 



