PiEO 
their having done the leaf: injury •, and as to the ber- 
ries, I have known them eaten in great quantities 
without prejudice. 
There are fome perfons who have grafted the Laurel 
upon Cherry hocks, with defign to enlarge the trees, 
but although they will take very well upon each other, 
yet they feldom make much progrefs when either the 
Laurel is grafted on the Cherry, or the Cherry upon 
the Laurel fo that it is only a thing of curiofity, at- 
tended with no real ufe : and I would recommend to 
perfons who have this curiofity, to graft the Laurel 
upon the Cornifh Cherry, rather than any other fort 
of flock, becaufe the graft will unite better with this 5 
and as it is a regular tree and grows large, fo it will 
better anfwer the purpofe of producing large trees. 
The Portugal Laurel may be propagated in the fame 
way as the common Laurel, either by cuttings, lay- 
ers, or feeds. If the cuttings are planted at the fame 
feafon, and in the fame way as hath been direfted for 
the common Laurel, they will take root very freely ; 
or if the young branches are laid in the autumn, 
they will take root in one year, and may then be re- 
moved into a nurfery, where they may grow a year 
or two get ftrength, and then transplanted where they 
are to remain. 
But although both thefe methods are very expeditious 
for the propagating thefe plants, yet I would recom- 
mend the railing them from the berries, efpecially 
where they are defigned for tall ftandards ; for the 
plants which are propagated by cuttings and layers, 
put out more lateral branches and become bufhy, but 
are not fo well inclined to grow upright, as thofe 
which come from feeds : and as there are now many 
trees in the Englilh gardens which produce plenty of 
berries every year, fo if they are guarded from birds 
till they are ripe, there may be a fupply of them fuf- 
ficient to raife plants enough without propagating 
them any other way. Thefe berries mull be fown in 
the autumn, and treated in the fame way as the com- 
mon Laurel. 
This tree delights in a gentle loamy foil, which is 
rot too wet nor over dry, though it will grow upon 
almoft any foil : but the plants do not make fo great 
progrefs, nor appear fo beautiful, when planted in 
a very dry foil, or in ground that is too wet. The 
time of tranfplanting this, is the fame as for the com- 
mon Laurel. 
This tree is much hardier than the common Laurel, 
for in the fevere froft of the year 1740, when great 
numbers of Laurels were entirely killed, and moll of 
them loll their verdure, this remained unhurt in per- 
fect verdure, which renders it more valuable ; and as 
by the appearance of fome trees now growing in the 
gardens, they feem as if they will grow to a large 
fize, fo it is likely to be one of the moft ornamental 
evergreens we have. 
PiEONIA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 273. tab. 146. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 600. [fo called from Pseon the phyfician, 
becaufe he is faid to have cured Pluto, when wounded 
by Hercules, with this herb.] The Peony ; in French, 
Pivoine. 
The Characters are, 
5 The flower has a permanent empalement , compofed of 
five concave reflexed leaves , unequal in Jize and pojition. 
"The flower hath five large , roundijh , concave petals which 
fpread open , and a great number of fhort hairy ftarnina , 
terminated by large , oblongs four-cornered fummits , with 
two , three, or four oval, ere fit, hairy germen in the cen- 
ter, having no ftyles, but have oblong , comprejfed , obtufe, 
coloured fligmas. 'The germen afterward become fo many 
oval, oblong , reflexed, hairy cap files , having one cell, 
open longitudinally , containing feveral oval, Jhining , co- 
loured feeds, fixed to the furrow , 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feflion 
of Linnaeus’s thirteenth clafs, which contains thofe 
plants whole flowers have many llamina and two ger- 
men or ftvles. 
4 
The Species are, 
1. Paeonia ( Mafcula ) foliis lobatis ex ovato-lanceolatis. 
Haller. Helv. 311. Peony with lobated leaves which are 
oval and fpear-fhaped. Pseonia folio nigricante fpleri- 
dido, quae mas. C, B. P- 323'. Peony with dark finning 
leaves, otherwife male Peony , 
2. PiBotfiA (Fceminea) foliis difformiter lobatis. Haller. 
Helvet. 311. Peony with difformed lobated leaves. Pse- 
onia communis, vel foemina. G. B. P. 323. Common 
or female Peony. 
3. P^eqnta {Peregrina) foliis difformiter lobatis, lobis in- 
cifis, petal's florum rotundioribus. Peony with dif- 
formed lobated leaves which are cut, and rounder petals to 
the flower. Paeonia peregrina, flore faturate rubente. 
C. B. P. 324. Foreign Peony with a deep red flower. 
4. P/eonia (. Hirfuta ) foliis lobatis, lobis lanceolatis in-, 
tegerrimis. Peony with lobated leaves , whofe lobes are 
fpear-fhaped and entire. Paeonia fcemina flore plena 
rubra majore. C. B. P, 324. Female Peony with a lar- 
ger double red flower, 
5. P/eon i a fi ariarica) foliis difformiter lobatis pube- 
fcentibus. Tab. 199. Peony with difformed lobated leaves * 
which are downy. 
6. Paeonia ( Lujitanica ) foliis lobatis, lobis ovatis in- 
ferne incanis. Peony with lobated leaves, whofe lobes 
are oval and hoary on their under fide. Paeonia Lufita- 
nica, flore limplici odoro. Juff. Peony of Portugal with 
a Jingle fweet flower. 
The firft fort here enumerated, is the common maid 
Peony, which grows naturally in the woods on the 
Helvetian mountains. The root of this is compofed 
of feveral oblong knobs, fhaped like the dugs of a 
cow, which hang by firings, faftened to the main 
head ; the ftalks rife about two feet and a half high, 
which are garnifhed with leaves compofed of feveral 
oval lobes, fome of which are cut into two or three 
fegments • they are of a lucid green on their upper 
fide, but are hoary on their under. The ftalks are 
terminated by large Angle flowers, compofed of five 
or fix large roundifh red petals, inclofing a great num- 
ber of ftarnina, terminated by oblong yellow fum- 
mits. In the center is fituated two, three, or forne- 
times five germen, which join together at their bafe 5 
they are covered with a wh-itifh hairy down •, thefe af- 
terward fpread afunder, and open longitudinally, ex- 
pofing the romidifti feeds, which are firft red, then 
purple, and when perfectly ripe turn black. The 
flowers appear in May, and the feeds ripen in the 
autumn. 
There is one variety of this with pale, and another 
with white flowers, as alfo one whofe leaves have 
larger lobes •, but as thefe are generally fuppofed to 
be only feminal variations, fo I have not enumerated 
them here. 
The fecond fort is called the female Peony-, the roots 
of this are compofed of feveral roundifh thick knobs 
or tubers, which hang below each other, faftened 
with firings ; the ftalks are green, and rife about; 
the fame height as the former ; thefe are garnifhed with 
leaves, compofed of Several unequal lobes, which 
are varioufly cut into many fegments ; they are of a 
paler green than thofe of the firft, and are hairy on 
their under fide the flowers are final ler, and of a 
deeper purple colour. It flowers at the fame time as 
the firft. 
There are feveral varieties of this fort with double 
flowers, which are cultivated in the Englifh gardens j 
thefe differ in the fize and colour of their flowers, but 
are fuppofed to have been accidentally obtained from 
feeds. 
The third fort grows naturally in the Levant ; the 
roots of this are compofed of roundifh knobs like 
thofe of the fecond fort, as are alfo the leaves, but are : _ 
of a thicker fubftance the ftalks do not rife fo high, 
and the flowers have a greater number of petals. This 
flowers a little after the other. The large double pur- 
ple Peony, I fufpedt is a variety of this fort. 
The fourth fort hath roots like the fecond the ftalks 
are taller, and of a purplifh colour j the leaves are 
much longer, the lobes are fpear-fhaped and entire .> 
the flowers are large, and of a deep red colour. This 
flowers at the fame time as the two firft forts. 
The 
