204 THE FLORIST AND 



to sell them in market. Arrived at the gardens I found there a 

 number of these plants in flower and of a remarkable beauty. The 

 purple and lilac species especially attracted the sight : among others 

 a very pretty kind apparently distinct, with finely cut leaves and 

 flowers of a velvety purple, like the Tuscany rose of our gardens. 

 The Chinese call it Moutan Peony (black) and I believe it to be 

 the same as that called atro-sanguinm by Dr. Lindley, in the journal 

 of the Horticultural Society of London. Another gpecies called 

 "tse" or purple, had double flowers of a remarkable size ; it is prp^ 

 bably this variety which they say has a thousand petals, and did 

 not exist but in the garden of the emperor. The third kind is call- 

 ed "Ian" (blue ;) it is a lilac variety; its flowers are of the color of 

 Wistaria Sinensis. There are besides other kinds of purple differ- 

 ently shaded, very distinct from the preceding ana" equally beau? 

 tiful. 



The double whites are also numerous and very remarkable. The 

 largest among them has been called P. globosa by Dr. Lindley, but 

 there are 4 or 5 others which approach very near to this. Some 

 have a light shade of lilac, which gives tone to their color. The 

 best is that called "wang" (yellow) hy the Chinese; this variety, of 

 a straw color, is very beautiful, but notwithstanding inferior to some 

 others. 



The red peonies (Hong) are equally numerous. What is strange, 

 is, that the kinds common at Canton and in England, are very rare 

 here. These gardens contain about a half-dozen of new varieties, 

 of red peonies ; aniong others, that called "Van-yang-hong" by the 

 Chinese, is the most beautiful plant which I have ever seen. Its 

 flowers are of a bright and pure reel, entirely different from all the 

 others perfectly double ; each of them is about ten inches in diame- 

 ter. In all I counted nearly thirty distinct varieties in these 



gardens. 



The greater part of these beautiful varieties of Paeonia Moutan 

 are unknown at Canton. This may seem strange in a country 

 where flowers are so generally sought for ; but the Chinese are in 

 everything such conservatives that a slight acquaintance with their 

 customs will suffice to explain this apparent anomaly. The gardens of 



