88 
HISTORY OF THE PiGONY PLANT IN CHINA AND JAPAN. 
1. The yellow (florist-flower), Ya 6u, with double yellow flowers. 
2. The yellow (florist-flower), New kea, also double, but of smaller size than the former. 
3. Vermilion-coloured (of Tseenke), double. 
4. The red (of Heen lae), very large-sized, thousand-petalled and pale rose-coloured. 
5. The red, called the " Crane's wing," Ho ling hung, many-petalled, white-coloured 
at the edge, and flesh-coloured at the base, similar to a Crane s wing. 
6. A flower with a good many petals, purple tipped with white, called Lotsa'e hioa, 
signifying " formed like a deer's belly." 
7. The Glycyrrhiza-like. Yellow, Kaii tsaou hwdng, single-flowered. 
8. The King's Table, Wang pan, with single white flowers, &c., &c. 
At the time when Soo kung (556 — 660) pointed out the province of Szechuenas being 
the native country of the Moiv tans, this very same spot, two centuries afterwards (in the 
years 968 — 975), when the author Ta Ming published his " Materies Medica," boasted 
upon their produce to be the best Moiv tan roots ; and the towns in that part of the country, 
Pa, Sho, Yu, and Ho chow,* are mentioned by that author as the central places for their 
cultivation. He also states that the roots brought to market from the province Che keang, 
and especially from the spot called Hae yen (30° 35' N. Lat., 118° 20' E. Long.) are 
rather of inferior quality. 
Soo sung, an author who published a work upon Natural Philosophy, during the reign 
of the Emperor Sung jin tsung (1023 — 1063), also mentions the district of the old Pa 
kewn in the province of Sze chuen, and now named Ho chow, as the place producing the 
best Moiv tans ; in succession whereto he mentions Ho f chow (31° 44' N. Lat., 116° 
E. Long.) and Senen chow (or the place now called Ning kwo, 31° 3(?)2' 56" N. Lat., 
116° 24' E. Long.) in the old Wooland. He distinguishes the Moiv tans from that country, 
from the common or mountain Mow tans, the latter producing yellow, purple, red, or white 
flowers, and are met with in the mountains of Yen ngan foo and Y chuen (prov. Shen se), 
Ts ing chow (prov. Shan tung), Shaou hing foo (prov. Che keang), Choo Chow (32° 15' 
N. Lat., 116° E. Long.), and Ho Chow (31° 44' N. Lat., 116° 00' E. Long.). He 
describes this common Moiv tan as follows : — 
The stems of the plant are hard-wooded and ash-coloured. About the second month, 
from the top buds, the young shoots and leaves make their appearance, and in the third 
month the flowers develope themselves ; the foliage much resembles that of the garden Moiu 
tan, but the number of petals never exceed five to six. In the fifth month, the fruit, with 
its black seeds, is formed, which, as regards size, resembles the seeds of Celosia cristata. 
The roots or fibres being yellow or white-coloured, grow to the length of half or two-thirds 
of a foot, and attain the thickness of a common pencil. At present," so continues the 
author, *' the Moiv tans are very much esteemed, and neither trouble nor expense is spared 
for the production of singular and extraordinary fine flowers. For this purpose trans- 
planting and grafting is performed in the autumn or winter season, and the soil is very 
richly manured, in consequence whereof the spring allows a more vigorous development of 
the flower. The more, however, the plant by such treatment is improved in vigour, the 
more the roots lose their original medical property ; to which idea the Medicus Kow 
tsung shihalso inclines, who published a work upon Natural History about the year 1111 — 
1117. This learned doctor far prefers the roots from the common sort growing on the 
mountains, particularly of the single red-blooming, and disapproves of the roots, and root- 
bark of the vermilion and bright blue-blooming sort." 
The above observations, gathered from old Chinese sources, are considered in the 
"Natural History," ''Pen tsaou kang muh,'' by its author as correct, who also considers 
the double-flowering Moiv tan as a useless medical plant, which property he only admits in 
the single red and white. 
In point of medical virtue, he far prefers the common Mow tans growing at Tan chow 
and Yen chow (now called E chuen, and Yen ngan foo, in the province of Shen se), and 
* 
