and white, with a dark purple mark 
at the base. A few years ago this 
variety sold at six guineas a plant, 
but it may now be obtained from 
3s. 6d. to 5s. Both the herbaceous 
and shrubby Peonies seed freely ; 
PARASITES. 308 
| 
® 
PARASITES. 
into other plants, and differ from 
epiphytes in that circumstance, the 
latter only growing upon the out- 
side upon the branches of trees, 
and as by fecundating the flowers | 
of one species with those of the 
others, new varieties may be easily 
procured, raising seedling Peonies 
forms a source of interest for ama- 
teurs. 
Paua'via.—Malvzceea.—An ele- 
gant annual plant, generally raised | 
on a hotbed, and planted out in May; | 
but whieh 
border in April. 
Pauiu‘rus.-Rhamnacee.—Christ’s 
Thorn. A curiously bent thorny 
may be sown in the open | 
shrub, with. very oddly-shaped flat 
fruit, which has given rise to the’ 
French name for the plant of porie- 
chapeau. 
and it will grow in any common 
garden soil. 
Pancra‘rium.— Amarylliddcee.— 
The Sea Daffodil. Splendid lily- 
like bulbous-rooted plants, some of 
It is a native of Asia, | 
and deriving nourishment from the 
decay of the outer bark, and the 
moisture which it retains from its 
porous corky nature. The only 
ligneous parasite which is grown in 
this country is the Mistletoe, which 
is propagated by bruising the ber- 
ries, and causing them to adhere to 
the bark, (see Vi'scum,) and the 
chief epiphytes are some of the 
stove Orchidacee. The British 
herbaceous parasites are Cuscuta 
epithymum and C. europe‘a upon 
Clover and Hops, and -Orobanche 
major and Lathrea squamaria on 
the roots of forest-trees. The hardy 
epiphytes of Britain are the Lichens 
and Mosses, which grow on the 
bark of old trees, or stunted young 
trees in most shady situations, and 
| some species of Ferns, such as Po- 
lypodium vulgare, which is often 
found growing on the bark of old 
which require a stove, and others | 
the greenhouse. They should be 
grown in light loam and vegetable 
mould; and should be allowed a 
season of rest, by being kept with- 
out water when not in a growing 
state. 
Pansy.—See HEart’s-EASE. 
Papa\vEr.—Papaverdcee. — The 
Poppy. Showy annual and peren- 
mal plants, which will grow in any 
\ common garden soil; and which | 
being quite hardy, only require the | 
common treatment of their respec- 
tive kinds. 
Papy’rus.—Cyperdce@.—An in- 
teresting marsh plant, which re- 
quires a stove in England, and 
which is worth growing from its 
having been the only paper used by 
the ancients. It should be planted 
in loam at the bottom of a tub or 
cistern. 
Parasires are plants which root 
pollards in the central districts of 
Eneland, and in great abundance 
on trees in the moist climates of 
Devonshire, Lancashire, Cumber- 
land, &c. It is very abundant on 
the Oaks in the grounds of the Poet 
Wordsworth, on the banks of the 
lake of Ambleside. Almost the only 
herbaceous parasite which can be 
conveniently @ultivated in gardens 
is the Cuscuta europea, the seeds of 
which, when gathered on Heaths or 
in Hop-grounds, may be sown at 
the roots of almost any herbaceous 
plant in gardens, when they will 
spring up, twine round it, and per- 
haps ultimately strangle it. Cus- 
cuta verrucosa 1s sometimes grown 
in greenhouses on Geraniums, und 
is noted for the fragrance of its 
blossoms.—(See Cu'scuta.) Oro- 
banche major is very common in 
clover fields in Norfolk, and greatly 
injyres the crops of that valuable 
forage plant. It also grows on the 
a 
