PAEONIA 



(From the classic Greek name paionia, named for Paion, the physician of the gods) 

 Ranunculacfs 



78. Paeonia officinalis, vars. {P. fillgiday vars.) 



English Names: Old-fashioned peony, Early flowering or European peony, 

 Piney, Naupie, Sheep-shearing rose. Vinegar rose. 



SOUTHERN EUROPE AND HORTICULTURAL VARIETIES 



EARLY MAY TO EARLY JUNE 



1ARGE, fragrant, typically crimson single flowers; in the horticul- 

 -/ tural varieties ranging from white to deep mahogany, and single 

 or double; borne on stout leafy stems two to three feet high. Leaves 

 divided into fifteen to 

 twenty oval leaflets, dark 

 green above and pale be- 

 neath, very handsome and 

 persistent. Very excel- 

 lent in clumps in the 

 herbaceous border on 

 accountof the trim, hand- 

 some, and lasting foliage 

 and the brilHant flowers. 

 Excellent also for front of 

 shrubbery beds and for 

 cutting. 



A perfectly hardy 

 perennial of easy culture, 

 in sun or partial shade, 

 though blooming longer 

 in partial shade. In plant- 

 ing the soil should be dug 

 to a depth of two or more 

 feet, with a large quantity 

 of well-rotted horse or 

 cow manure worked in at 

 the bottom. Fill with 

 soft, rich loam mixed in 

 equal quantities with leaf 

 mold. The roots should be 

 set carefully, with the crowns between two and three inches below the sur- 

 face of the ground, and should not come in direct contact with the manure. 



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