RANUNCULACE^E. XXXII. ZANTHORHIZA. XXXIII. P^ONIA. 



65 



cms ; the juice of them with alum yields a black die. Toads 

 are reported to enjoy the fetid odour of this plant, (f. 13.) 



Spiked-fiovfered or Common Bane-berry. Fl. May, July. 

 England. PI. 1 foot. 



2 A. RU'BRA (Willd. enum. p. 560.) leaves bi or triternate ; 

 leaflets ovate-lanceolate, serrated or cut ; petals acute, shorter 

 than the stamens ; racemes simple hemispherical ; pedicels slen- 

 der ; berries ovate-oblong. If.. H. Native of North America 

 in shady rocky woods in rich vegetable soil, from Canada to 

 Virginia, and from Hudson's bay to the Rocky Mountains. A. 

 brachypetala var. /3, rubra, D. C. syst. 1. p. 385. Berries red. 

 Flowers, fruit, and seeds larger than those of A. alba. This 

 plant is known in North America by the name of Red Co-hosh, 

 and is considered by the natives a valuable medicine. 



Var. /3, ccerulea ; berries blue. If. . H. Native of Florida, 

 where it is known by the name of Blue Co-hosh. A. brachype- 

 tala y, caerulea, D. C. syst. ] . p. 385. 



Red Bane-berry. Fl. May, June. Clt. PI. 1 to 1| foot. 



3 A. A'LBA (Bigl. fl. bost. ed. 2. p. 211.) leaves bi or triter- 

 nate ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, serrate or cut ; petals truncate, 

 equal in length to the stamens ; racemes simple, oblong ; pedi- 

 cels a little thickened ; berries ovate-oblong. If. . H. Native 

 of North America in shady rocky woods in rich vegetable soil, 

 from Canada to Virginia ; in Canada, particularly about Lake 

 Huron. A. brachypetala a, alba, D. C. syst. 1. p. 385. Berries 

 white. This plant is known in North America by the name of 

 White Co-hosh, and is considered a valuable medicine by the 

 natives. 



Var. ft, microcdrpa ; berries small white or reddish, on thick 

 pedicels. 7;. H. Native about Boston. A. brachypetala S, 

 microcarpa, D. C. syst. 1. p. 385. 



White Bane-berry. Fl. May, June. Clt. PI. 1 to 1| foot. 



Cult. These plants will thrive well in any common garden 

 soil. They succeed best under the shade of trees. They are 

 easily increased by dividing the plants at the root, or by seeds, 

 which usually ripen in abundance. 



XXXII. ZANTHORHrZA (from frvSoc, zanthos, yellow, 

 pia, rhiza, a root ; deep yellow colour of the roots.) Marsh, 

 arb. 167. Lam. ill. t. 854. D. C. syst. 1. p. 286. prod. 1. p. 65. 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria, Mono-Trigynia. Calyx of 5 deciduous 

 sepals. Petals 5. Carpels 2-3-seeded, but usually solitary from 

 abortion. A small shrub, with yellow creeping roots, irregu- 

 larly pinnate leaves, branched racemes, and small purplish flowers 

 rising from the scaly buds. 



1 Z. APIIFO'LIA (Lher. stirp. nov. p. 79. t. 38.) Jj . H. Na- 

 tive of North America on shady banks of rivers ; from Virginia 

 to Georgia. Bart. elem. bot. t. 12. ex. coll. mat. med. amer. 2. 

 p. 11. A small shrub, with irregularly pinnate leaves; leaflets 

 5-7 ; deeply serrated. Racemes branched, pendulous, rising 

 with the leaves from the scaly buds. Flowers small, dark-purple, 

 usually unisexual from abortion. Bark of the root intensely and 

 adhesively bitter, and somewhat acrid. 



Parsley-leaved Yellow-root. Fl. May, June. Clt. 1 766. Sh. 

 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult. Zanthorhiza will thrive in any common garden soil. It 

 is easily increased by suckers from the root, which are thrown 

 out in great numbers. 



XXXIII. P^EO'NIA (The physician Paeon was the first to 

 use this in medicine. The Greek legend adds, that he used it to 

 cure Pluto of a wound inflicted by Hercules.) Lin. gen. no. 678. 

 Gaert. fruct. 1. p. 309. t. 65. D. C. syst. 1. p. 386. prod. 1. 

 p. 65, 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria, Di-Pentagynia. Calyx of 5 leafy inequal 

 permanent sepals (f. 1 4. b. a.) Petals from 5 to 1 0, somewhat 

 VOL. i. PART i. 



orbicular (f. 14. c.) Stamens indefinite. Disk fleshy, girding 

 the ovaries. Carpels follicular, from 2 to 5 (f. 14. e.) large, 

 many-seeded, terminated with thick bilamellate stigmas (f. 14. 

 e.) Seeds rather globose, shining. Roots fascicled. Cauline 

 leaves biternate. Flowers large, white or purplish, usually with 

 a strong disagreeable smell. The root is acrid, bitter, and 

 fetid, and its qualities are reported to be narcotic and dan- 

 gerous, which we can readily believe. The seeds are somewhat 

 emetic. 



SECT. I. MO'UTAN (the name of the tree Paeony in Japan 

 and China.) D. C. prod. 1. p. 65. Stem shrubby. Disk ex- 

 panded into a membranous urceolus, involving the carpels more or 

 less. The flowers of the Moutan Paeony are generally fragrant. 

 In China the shrubs sometimes exceed 10 feet in height, but in 

 Britain they scarcely ever exceed 5 feet. 



1 P. MOUTAN (Sims, bot. mag. t. 1154.) segments of leaves 

 oval-oblong, glaucous underneath ; carpels 5, villous. ^ . H. 

 Native of the North of China on mount Ho-nan. Cultivated in 

 the gardens throughout China and Japan for the beauty of their 

 blossoms. Flowers single, purple. All the varieties of Moutan 

 are very ornamental. 



Var. a, papavaracea (Andr. bot. rep. t. 463.) petals from 8 

 to 13. white, with a purple spot at the base of each ; capsules 

 altogether inclosed in the unceolus or disk, ij . H. Lodd. bot. 

 cab. 547. Sims, bot. mag. 2175. 



Var. /3, Banksii (Anders. Lin. trans, v. p.) flowers double ; 

 petals reddish in the middle ; segments of leaves, withblu nt 

 fissures. T? . H. Andr. bot. rep. t. 448. Ker. bot. reg. 379. 

 Sims, bot. mag. t. 1 1 54. The petals are slightly tinged with 

 blush, becoming nearly white at the edges, and are marked at 

 the base with purplish red. Clt. 1794. 



Var. y, Humei (Ker, bot. reg. t. 379.) flowers double, with 

 a bunch of long petals rising from the middle of the flower, of 

 the same colour as Banksii. ^ . H. Clt. 1817. 



Var. S, rosea (D. C. prod. 1. p. 65.) flowers semi-double, 

 rose-coloured ; segments of leaves, with very blunt fissures at 

 the apex. J? . H. Andr. bot. rep. t. 373. Lodd. bot. cab. t. 

 1035. Petals large, of a fine deep pink. Clt. 1794. 



Var. f, rbsea-plena (Hort. trans. 6. p. 477.) flowers very 

 double, of a fine deep pink, nearly scentless. Bonpl. pi. rar. p. 

 61. t. 23. P. suffruticosa, Andr. bot. rep. t. 373. Petals jagged. 



Var. , Rawesii (Hort. trans. 6. p. 479.) flowers single, pale, 

 slightly tinged with pink. The foliage much resembles that of 

 an herbaceous Paeony. J?. H. Clt. 1820. 



Var. ?), Carnea-plena (Hort. trans. 6. p. 481.) flowers very 

 double, of a delicate purplish pink, with a rich purple rayed spot 

 at the top of each. Very like Banksii, but without the central 

 elongated petals, which sometimes in that variety appear to rise 

 from amongst the germens. 



Var. &, dlbida-plena (Hort. trans, vol. 6. p. 482.) flowers 

 double, very pale, though not decidedly white, suffused with 

 purple. Jj . H. 



Var. i, Anneslei (Hort. trans. 6. p. 482. t. 7.) flowers small, 

 almost single, of a rich purplish pink ; petals usually 9, obcor- 

 date, slightly jagged at the margins, of a darker colour at their 

 bases. Jj . H. 



Moutan or Tree Pasony. Fl. April, June. Clt. 1789. Shrub 

 3 to 10 feet. 



SECT. II. P.EON (applied to this section on account of its con- 

 taining the original Paeonys, for the derivation see genus.) D. C. 

 prod. 1. p. 65. Stems herbaceous. Disk of flower hardly or 

 not expanded, and therefore only surrounding so much of the 

 base of the carpels (f. 14. rf.) Roots fascicled, composed of 

 fusiform tubers. 



K 



