60 FLORA iNDicA. [BUleiiiacece . 



Tribus V. P^oniejE. 



Sepala persistentia, herbacea, aestivatione imbricata. Petala plana. 

 Anther(B demum tortiles. Ovaria 3-B, multiovulata, disco carnoso 

 ciiicta. Folliculi totidem. Semina magna, albumine carnoso. 



20. P^ONIA, L. 



Sepala 5, persistentia, herbacea. Fetala 5-10. Ovaria 2-5. Fol- 

 liculi ovati, polyspermi. Semina subglobosa. — lierbaa erecta, foliis 

 pinnatim decompositis, floribus conspicuis solitariis purpureis vel albis. 



Natives of Europe and Northern Asia, and of North America west of the Rocky 

 Mountains, growing in mountain woods and pastures. The species have been much 

 cultivated, and floricultural botanists have devoted much labour to the discrimination 

 of many supposed species, chiefly of garden origin. Specimens in herbaria are often 

 very imperfect, but we observe that authors readily admit glabrous-leaved varieties 

 of the pubescent-leaved species (a character on which De Candolle divides the genus 

 into two sections), and that glabrous and densely tomentose fruited plants are not 

 considered specifically distinguishable. We are inclined to believe that all the erect- 

 fruited herbaceous forms belong to one species, as we can see no distinctions in the 

 shape of the leaves sufficient to distinguish from one another P. officinalis and P. 

 peregrina. We have not had an opportunity of seeing fruiting specimens of P. ano- 

 mala, L., the common Siberian species, which is undistinguishable in the herbariiun 

 in a flowering state, but is characterized by the spreading carpels. 



1. P. officinalis (L. Sp. 747) ; herbacea, foliis biternatim sectis, 

 foliolis incisis, lobis oblongis lanceolatisve acutis, folliculis 1-3 erectis 

 tomentosis vel glabris. — BC. Syd. i. 339, Prod. i. 65. P. peregrina, 

 DC. Prod. i. 66. P. intermedia, 0. A. Meyer in Led. PL Alt. ii. 277 ; 

 Led. II. Ross. i. 74. P. Emodi, Wall. Cat. 4727 ! Royle ! Lll. 57. 



Hab. In Himalaya occidentali temperata interiori, alt. 5-10,000 

 ped.; a Kashmir! ad Kumaon ! — (I'l. Mai.) (r. e.) 



DiSTElB. Europa australis ! Sibiria Altaica ! 



Herba erecta, 1-3-pedalis, glabra. Folia 6-12-poll., subtua pallida, glabra vel 

 pubescentia. Flores albi rosei vel purpurei (in Indicis albi), extus bracteis 2-3 

 calyci adpressis foliaceis lanceolatis. Sepala ovalia vel rotundata, 2-3 ext. apice in 

 appeudicem foliaceam lanceolatam expausa. Discus parvus annularis ovaria ciugens. 

 Ovaria dense tomentosa vel glabra. 



Himalayan specimens of this species are not distinguishable from those of Europe 

 and Siberia. The pubescence of the fruit is of no value as a character, for among 

 the few Indian specimens in fruit before us, that of Jacquemont is quite glabrous, 

 whUe Major Madden's is densely strigose. 



II. DILLENIACE.ZE. 



Sepala 5, persistentia, SBstivatione imbricata (quincuncialia), rarius 

 pluriserialia. Petala 5, decidua, sestivsktione imbricata, unum ssepe 

 exterius. Stamina hypogyna, pluriserialia, iudeiinita. Antlierm basi- 

 fixBe, iutrorsse vel laterales, rarius extrorsse, biloculares, longitudinaliter 



