262 Mr. Anderson's Monograph of the Genus Paojiia. 



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 alhiflora 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- 'Jhough Linne does not acknowledge it in either 

 edition of his Species Plantarum, it is at length admitted in the 

 Mantissa. 



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. quinqiiecapsularis 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, preserve the original name given by Linne, however objec- 

 tionable. 



The roots grow to a great size in their native state, and toge- 

 ther with those of albifiora 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. 



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. P^ONIA TENUIFOLIA. 



P. foliolis multipartitis glabris lineari-subulatis, pedunculis bre- 



vissimis, germinibus tomentosis erectis. 



P. tenuis 



