PIO 



P M O 



The latter has the roots composed of several 

 nblontr. knobs hanging bv string* fastened to the 

 main head : the stems the same height with the 

 ■preceding: the leaves are composed of several 

 ovate lobes, Bomeof which are cut into two or 

 three segments; they are of a lucid green on 

 their upper side, but are hoary on their under: 

 the stems are terminated by large single Bowers, 

 composed ot five or six Luge roundish red 

 petals. 



The flowers in both sorts appear in May, and 

 are natives of several parts of Europe, as Switz- 

 erland, Dauphine, Carniola, Piedmont, Sile- 

 sia, Sec. 



Miller savs, that " it is scarcelv necessary to 

 observe that the old names of Male and Female 

 have nothing to do here with the sexes, the 

 flowers of both being hermaphrodite." 



There are several subvarieties of the Female 

 Peony wiih double flowers, differing in size and 

 colour, cultivated in gardens. The Male Penny 

 also varies with pale, and white flowers, ind with 

 larger lobes to the leaves: they also vary much 

 in different countries. 



" There is the Foreign Peony, with a deep- 

 red flower: the roots are composed of roundish 

 lenobs, like those of the Female Peon:/ : the 

 leaves are also the same, but of a thicker sub- 

 stance : the stalks do not rise so high: the 

 flowers have a greater number of petals, and ap- 

 pear a little later. It is a native of the Levant. 

 The large double purple Peony is probably a sub- 

 variety of this." 



The Hairy Peony, with a larger double red 

 flower: the roots likethe common female Peony; 

 but the stalks taller, and of a purplish colour : 

 the leaves much longer, with spear-shaped entire 

 lobes : the flowers large, and of a deep red 

 colour. 



The Tartarian, with roots composed of oblong 

 flesh v tubers of a pale colour : the stalks about 

 two feel high, pale green : the leaves composed 

 of several lobes, irregular in shape and size, 

 some having six, others eight or ten spear-shaped 

 lobes, some cut into two or three segments, 

 and others entire; of a pale green, and downy 

 on their under side: the stalks are terminated 

 bv one flower of a bright-red colour, a little less 

 than that of the common Female Peony, having 

 few er petals. 



The Portugal Peony, with a single sweet flow er, 

 has not roots composed of roundish tubers, hut 

 has two or three lung taper forked fangs like 

 fingers : the sialk rises little more than a loot 

 high: the leaves are composed of three or four 

 oval lobes, of a pale colour on their upper side, 

 and hoary underneath : the stalk is i< rminated 

 by a single dower, which is of a bright red co- 



lour, smaller than the above, and of an agree- 

 able sweet scent. 



The second species has a creeping root, put- 

 ting forth tuberous fibres, with tubercles the 

 size of a hazel nut, white, fleshy, ot a bitterish 

 taste : the stem scarcely a loot high, and com- 

 monly single, but in the garden eighteen inches 

 high, and several from the same root : ihe root- 

 leaves none: the stem round, very obscurely 

 erooved, smooth, as is the whole plant, naked at 

 bottom, having thereonlyafew sheathing scales : 

 the leaves frequent, alternate, the upper oiks 

 gradually less, on a round petiole, channelled 

 above, quinate: the leaflet scut into very many nar- 

 row segments : the upper leaves simply multifid : 

 the flower sessile at the uppermost leaf, subglo- 

 bular, accompanied by two leaflets, one multifid, 

 the other simple, both dilated at the base. It 

 is a native of the Ukraine. 



Culture. — The single sorts are easily raised by 

 seed, a;:d the double by parting the roots. 



The seed should be sown in autumn, soon 

 after it is perfectly ripened, or very early in the 

 spring, (hut the former is the better season,) on 

 a bed or border in the open ground where the 

 soil is rather light, raking it in lightly. It may 

 also be sown in small drills. 



The plants should afterwards be properly thin- 

 ned, kept perlecilv free from weeds, and be occasi- 

 onally watered when the weather is hot and dry. 



As they should remain two seasons in the beds, 

 it is necessary in the second autumn to spread 

 some light mould over them, to the depth of an 

 inch ; and in the autumn follow ing they mav be 

 removed where they are to remain. Plants of the 

 double-flowered kinds are often produced from 

 these. 



The roots of the old double-flowered plants 

 mav be taken up in the beginning of the autumn, 

 and divided so as to have one bud or eve or more 

 to each part, or crown, as without care in ibis 

 respect they never form good plants. And 

 where regard is had to the flowering, they should 

 not be too much divided, or the off-sets made 

 too small, as when that is the case they do not 

 flower strong. But where a great increase is 

 wanted, they may be divided more, being left 

 longer in the nursery-beds. 



They should be planted out as soon as possible 

 after they are separated, though when necesary 

 they mav be kept some time out of the earth. 

 The large oil-sets mav be set out at once where 

 they are to remain; but the small one.-, are best 

 set in nursery-beds for a year, or till of proper 

 strength for planting out. 



The plants may afterwards be suffered to re- 

 main several years unrenioved, till the roofs are 

 increased to very large bunches, and then be 



sA's 



