CXLV. 

 PCEONIA OFFICINALIS. 



Common Peony. 



Class XIII. Polyandria. — Order II. Pentagynia. 



Nat. Ord. Ranunculace.e. 



Gen. Char. Calyx of five leaves. Petals five to ten- 

 Follicles two to five, many-seeded, crowned with the 

 bilamellated stigmas. 



Spec. Char. Follicles downy, nearly straight; leaves with 

 unequally incised smooth segments, their lobes ovate r 

 lanceolate. 



SYNONYM ES. 



Greek. . . . vraiovtcc yXvxvaihn. 



f Pceonia communis vel foemina. Bauh. Pin. 323. Town 



Inst. 274. 

 J Poeonia foemina. Ger. Em. 981. 

 Latin i Pceonia officinalis var. a. Lin. Sp. PI. 747- 



I Pceonia officinalis. Retz. Obs. 35. Willd. Sp. PI. ii. p. 1221. 



I Smith. Prod. Fl. Grasc. i. p. 369. 

 French. . . Pivoine ; Pione. 

 Italian.... Peonia. 



Spanish . . Peonia ; Rosa del monte ; Rosa Alberdera. 

 Portuguese Peonia ; Rosa Albardeira. 



German . . Pfingstrose ; Konigsrose ; Gichtrose ; Koenigsblume. 

 Dutch. . . . Peoine. 

 Danish. . . Peon ; Gigirose. 

 Swedish . . Pion. 

 Polish . .. Piwonia. 

 Muss Pionnaja rosa. 



Description. — The root is perennial, tuberous, thick, fleshy, 

 somewhat fasciculated. The stems are erect, cylindrical, thick, 

 succulent, smooth, branched, often purplish red, and attain the 



