228 



P JEO 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL ; 



P JEO 



PADDOCK Pipe. See Equisetwn Palustre. 



Pcedena; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, 

 turbinate, five-toothed, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, 

 funnel-form, hirsute within ; border five-parted, small. Sta- 

 mina: filamenta five, awl-shaped, very short, from the middle 

 of the tube; antheree oblong, shorter than the corolla. Pistil: 

 germen roundish ; style capillary, bifid, the length of the 

 corolla ; stigmas simple. Pericarp : berry brittle, ovate, 

 inflated. Seeds: two, ovate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Contorted: Berry: inflated, brittle, two-seeded. Style: bifid. 



The species are, 



. 1. Paederia Foetida ; Stinking Opal-berry. Stamina in- 

 cluded; stem twining, filiform, smooth, and even; leaves 

 opposite, petioled, cordate, acuminate, quite entire, nerved, 

 spreading a little, paler underneath, an inch long, very 

 smooth, and even ; flowers axillary, in brachiate panicles, 

 coming out successively ; the calix is often seven-leaved, and 

 the corolla seven-cleft : sometimes the calix is six-leaved ; it 

 is now and then found with seven stamina. The plant turns 

 black in drying, and when fresh has a very unpleasant smell. 

 It varies with wider shorter leaves, and with narrower longer 

 leaves. Native of the East Indies and Japan. 



2. Pasderia Fragrans ; Fragrant Opal-berry. Stamina 

 standing out. This differs fr9m the preceding, chiefly in 

 having- wider, ovate, acuminate leaves, many-flowered cymes, 

 and the segments of the corolla narrower and sharper, 

 besides the distinction pointed out in the specific character. 

 Native of the island of Mauritius. 



Pcederota ; a genus of the class Diandria, order Monogy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-parted ; 

 leaflets linear, equal, spreading, permanent. Corolla : one- 

 petalled, somewhat wheel-shaped, four-cleft, blunt, upper 

 lobe wider, generally emarginate. Stamina: filamenta two, 

 filiform, ascending, shorter than the corolla ; antherae con- 

 verging, ovate, acute, two-valved. Pistil: germen ovate ; 

 style awl-shaped, bent down, the length of the stamina, 

 permanent. Pericarp : capsule ovate, longer than the calix, 

 two-celled, opening at top. Seeds: very many, roundish. 

 Observe. It is allied to Veronica, but differs in having a 

 five-parted calix. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: four- 

 cleft. Calix : five-parted. Capsule : two-celled. The 



species are, 



1. Paederota Ageria. Leaves ovate-acuminate ; helmet of 

 the corollas bifid. This differs from the next species in hav- 

 ing simple stems , the lower leaves alternate, drier, more 

 wrinkled, and not at all shining; the helmet bifid and entire, 

 ascending. Native of Italy and Carniola. 



2. Psederota Bonarota. Leaves roundish, ovate ; helmet 

 of the corollas entire; root branched, fibrous, perennial; 

 stems ro'und, simple, villose, erect. Scopoli has given eight 

 varieties. Native of Austria, Carniola, and Italy. 



3. Paederota Minima. Leaves oblong, entire, opposite ; 

 flowers axillary, opposite; teeth of the calices hirsute within; 

 stems an inch and half high, seldom branched, rooting at 

 the base. Native of the East Indies. 



PcEonia; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Digynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved, 

 small, permanent; leaflets roundish, concave, reflex, unequal 

 in size and situation. Corolla : petals five, roundish, con- 

 cave, narrower at the base, spreading, very large. Stamina: 

 filamenta numerous, (about three hundred,) capillary, short; 

 antherse oblong, quadrangular, "erect, four-celled, large. 

 Pistil : germina two, ovate, erect, tomentose ; styles none ; 

 stigmas compressed, oblong, blunt, coloured. Pericarp: 

 capsules as many, ovate-oblong, spreading and reflex, tomen- 



tose, one-celled, one-valved, opening longitudinally inwards. 

 Seeds : several, oval, shining, coloured, fastened to the open- 

 ing suture. Observe. The most natural number of the ger- 

 men seems to be two, but it varies much in the species, and 

 seldom amounts to five. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: 

 five-leaved. 'Petals: five; styles none. Capsule: many- 

 seeded. The plants of this genus are all extremely hardy, 

 and will grow in almost any soil and situation, on which 

 account they are more valuable ; for they will thrive under 

 the shade of trees, and will retain their beauty longer there. 

 They are propagated by parting their roots, which multiply 

 very fast : the best season for transplanting them, is toward 

 the end of August, or the beginning of September; for if 

 they be removed after their shoots have shot out new fibres, 

 they seldom flower strong in the succeeding summer. In 

 parting these roots, always take care to preserve a bud upon 

 the crown of each offset, otherwise they will come to nothing'; 

 nor should you divide the roots too small, especially if you 

 have regard to their blowing the following year; for when 

 their offsets are weak, they frequently do not flower in the 

 succeeding summer, or at least produce but one flower upon 

 each root : however, you may divide them as small as you 

 please, wherever you would multiply them in quantities, pro- 

 vided there be a bud to each offset ; but then they should 

 be planted in a nursery-bed for a season or two, to acquire 

 strength, before they are placed in the flower-garden. The 

 single sorts may be generally propagated from seeds, which 

 they generally produce in large quantities, wherever the 

 flowers are allowed to remain. The seeds should be sown 

 in the autumn, soon after they are ripe, upon a bed of light 

 fresh earth, covering them over about half an inch thick 

 with the same light earth. In the following spring the plants 

 will come up, when they should be carefully cleared from 

 weeds, and in very dry weather refreshed with water, which 

 will greatly forward their growth ; in this bed they should 

 remain two years, before they are transplanted ; observing 

 in autumn, when the leaves are decayed, to spread some fresh 

 rich earth over the beds, about an inch thick, and constantly 

 to keep them clear from weeds. When you transplant them, 

 which should be done in September, dig some beds of fresh 

 light earth, removing all the roots of the weeds ; then set the 

 plants therein, six inches asunder, and about three inches 

 deep. In these beds they may remain until they flower, after 

 which they may be transplanted where you design they 

 should grow. It is very probable there may be some varieties 

 obtained from the seeds of these plants, as is common in most 

 other flowers : so that those which produce beautiful flowers 

 may be placed in the flower-garden ; but such as continue 

 single, or ill-coloured, may be planted in beds, to propagate 

 for medicinal use. All the sorts with double flowers are 

 preserved in gardens, for their beauty, and add greatly to 

 the variety, when intermixed with other large-growing plants 

 in the borders ; they are also highly ornamental in flower- 

 pots placed in rooms. The species are, 



1. Pseonia Albiflora; White-lowered Paony. Leaves 

 ternate ; leaflets lobed, shining; germina in threes, smooth; 

 root brown, composed of a few cylindrical or fusiform tubers, 

 a span in length, united at top, the flesh white, with little 

 taste ; stem from a radical leafless sheath, two feet high, the 

 thickness of a reed, slender, round, with scarcely conspicuous 

 grooves, descending from each petiole down both sides, 

 green tinged with red, naked at bottom. The whole plant 

 is very smooth, and shining. It differs remarkably from 

 the Common Pseony : in having the stem more slender, 

 rounder, scarcely grooved, more rigid ; 2. in having the 

 leaves larger, biternate, with broader smoother leaflets, 



