60 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



dissimilar' sepals, quincuncially imbricated in the bud. The petals, 

 equally free and imbricated in the bud, have a short claw, and are 



Peeonia albijlora. Pceonia Moutan (papaveracea). 



Fig. 110. Fig. HI. Fio. 112. 



Longitudinal section of bud. Disk and gynacceum. Longitudinal section. 



often equal in number to the sepals, and alternate with them.* 

 The stamens are very numerous, inserted along a spiral of many 

 turns very close to one another. The anthers,^ two-celled and in- 

 trorse, are narrow and elongated, each dehiscing by two longitudinal 

 clefts.' The somewhat unequal filaments, attached to the bases of 

 the anthers, are free, slender,'' and inserted without the projecting 

 rim formed by a glandular disk which lines the concavity of the recep- 

 tacle, and projects more or less from it. Here it is only a small, un- 

 equally crenulate ledge, while in other species, such as T.papaveracea 

 Andr." (figs. Ill, 112), this disk rises up into a coloured sac, 

 whicli looks as if formed by a union of appendicular organs, and en- 

 tirely surrounds the ovaries, only giving passage to the styles by the 

 narrow aperture at its summit.^ The gynseceum consists of a varial)le 



' Tlie more internal tliey are the more they 

 resemhle petals in fonn and consistency ; the 

 more external they are the more they resemble 

 bracts. 



' Except in cases of dedii])lication. 



' With Hve jx-tals the a-diviition is sometimes 

 <|uincuncial ; but more often there is only one of 

 tlie petals quite inside, and otily one entirely 

 iverlapping. They are very caducous. 



* A transverse section of the anllier sliows that 

 it is divided by fotir longitudinal j^rooves into as 

 many nearly eijual lobes, two to eiuh cell. The 

 ;inther has really but two cells, it is very de- 



cidedly introrse in P. arietina, Wiltmanniana, 

 and much less so in P, officinalis, mollis, «tc. 



* Moreover, after dehis«'ence tiie anthers be- 

 come twisted on themselves or revolute from 

 above d(jwnwnrds. 



* The filaments are shorter as they arc more 

 external. The weight of the anthers makes 

 them droop after the eximnsion of the flower. 



' This is rather a more variety of J'. Moutan, 

 SiM8, willi white ])etnl8 spotted with purple, ami a 

 much develo]icd disk(A.M)K.,ex l)C.,yVo</r.,i.65). 



* Whatever be its »i/.e, this organ is like ii 

 disk, late to develope. When it nearly surrounds 



