166 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



PiEONIA 



leaves having 30-40. The bright crim- 

 son solitary flowers, 4 in. across, appear 

 ia May and June, the outer sepals being 

 produced into long, often compound, 

 leafy points. The fruits (follicles) are 

 covered, with a red or white down. 



Culture (fc. as above, p. 165. 



P. arietina.' — A native of S. Europe, 

 2-3 ft. high, with pale green or blue- 

 green leaves, downy beneath, having 

 more or less oblong or lance-shaped con- 

 fluent segments. The dark red sohtary 

 flowers, about 4 in. across, appear in May, 

 and are replaced by 3 or 4 densely wooUy 

 fruits, spreading almost horizontally from 

 the base. 



The variety Andersoni, which is pro- 

 bably a native of the Levant, has blue 

 or glaucous-green leaves, and deep rose 

 flowers with slightly crisped petals. The 

 variety cretica, from the mountains of 

 Crete, is one of the earliest of Pseomes, 

 and may be recognised by its pale glau- 

 cous green leaves when springing out of 

 the ground. The flowers are pale rose or 

 nearly white with torn or jagged petals. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. Bakeri. — A distinct species, resem- 

 bling P. triternata in habit, and named 

 a few years ago by Mr. Lynch, of Cam- 

 bridge. It has cylindrical and somewhat 

 spindle-shaped roots, and stout stems 

 about 2 ft. high, reddish, flexuose, and 

 hairy from the lowest leaf to the flower. 

 The red-stalked leaves are biternate, 

 with broadly ovate-acute segments about 

 34 in. long, the upper surface tinted with 

 red, the under hairy and glaucous. 

 Flowers deep rose, over 4 in. across, with 

 obovate slightly crisped petals, usually 

 with a white median line beneath. 



Culture dc. as above, 



P. Barn (P. Bussi, Bot. Mag.t. 2264). 

 This is another new species created by 

 Mr. Lynch. It has leaf segments about 

 5 times as long as broad, scarcely downy 

 but very glaucous below, and brilliant red 

 flowers produced in May. The true P. 

 Bussi is described on p. 167. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. Broteri. — A native of Spain and 

 Portugal, and closely related to P. coral- 

 Una. It has cylindrical roots, reddish 

 stems, smooth ovate pointed leaflets, 

 broadest near the middle, and rosy-red or 

 sometimes white flowers, appearing in 

 May and followed by hafry fruits. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. Brownei. — A rare North American 

 species about 18 in. high, with pale green 

 or blue-green leaves, having temately 

 divided or cut leaflets. The globose 

 flowers appear in May and are about 1 in. 

 in diameter, with dull red petals brighter 

 on the edges. 



The variety caUfornica has fcifid or 

 trifid, never pinnatifid, leaflets, the apical 

 segments being oblong, lanceolate, acute, 

 and not glaucous. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. coralUna (P. Mas). — A native of 

 S. Europe to Asia Minor, with spindle- 

 shaped or knobby roots. It has reddish 

 stems 2-3 ft. high, and smooth, deep 

 green leaves with reddish veins, cut into 

 more or less broadly ovate segments. 

 The crimson or rose-red flowers appear 

 in May, having 6-8 obovate or rounded 

 petals 2-3 in. long. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. coriacea. — A species from the S. of 

 Spain, mountains of Morocco and Algeria. 

 The leaves are cut into broadly ovate 

 entire smooth leaflets, firm in texture. 

 The flowers are large, bright crimson, 

 appearing in May. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. decora. — A Servian species related 

 to P. arielina, with smooth stems 2-3 ft. 

 high, and pale green or slightly glaucous 

 leaves, red at the edges, smooth or slightly 

 hairy beneath, cut into numerous oblong^ 

 blunt leaflets. Flowers in May, solitary, 

 crimson, with 6-8 petals 1^2 in. long, 

 and about 1 in. broad. The large hairy 

 fruits are widely divergent. 



The variety Pallasi has narrowly 

 oblong leaves, while those of elatior are 

 broadly oblong. 



Culture dc. as above. 



P. Emodi. — A fine but rather rare 

 species from the Himalayas. It grows 

 2-3 ft. high, with thin, smooth, deep green 

 leaves paler beneath, and cut into numer- 

 ous lance-shaped pointed segments. The 

 white flowers, 3-4 in. across, are produced 

 in March from the axUs of the upper 

 leaves, and have unequal obovate petals 

 lJ-2 in. broad, whUe some of the outer 

 sepals are produced into leafy points. 



Culture dc. as above. This fine 

 Pseony requires a warm sheltered situation 

 and thoroughly well-drained soil so that 

 t does not suffer during the winter months 



