194 P 7E O 
13. Pseonia arietina, or ram-headed pceony: leaflets 
trilobated, pinnatifid, decurrent, long-oval, hairy be¬ 
neath ; follicles rough, fpreading out. A large fpecies, 
the Item being from two feet to two feet and a half high. 
Its diftinguifhing chararters confift in the leaflets being de¬ 
current, often even confluent, and in the germens being 
arched and frequently recurved, fuggefting a refemblance 
to rams’ horns. It feems to have been well known to 
the old authors, as will appear in defcribing the varieties. 
a. P. Anderfonii: flowers rofe-colour. Named by Mr. 
Sabine, owing to his having obtained it from Mr. A. fe- 
veral years ago. Though not common about London, 
probably having been banifhed with contempt for its 
Angle flower, it is neverthelefs ftill to be feen in remote 
parts of the country in the gardens of old baronial man- 
fions : in fuch fituations we knew it many years ago in 
Aberdeenlhire, where it is ftill to be found under the 
name of the Angle pseony, and the only fpecies with An¬ 
gle flowers we ever obferved in thofe parts. From ana¬ 
logy we prefume it to be a native of the Levant. Its 
flowers are of a bright but deep rofe-colour, refembling 
raoft thofe of Daurica; and appear very handfome over 
its abundant, dark, though glaucous, leaves. 
/ 3 . P. Oxonienfis : flowers pale flelh-colour. This is 
probably No. 6. Ger. Em. p. 981. as to the defcription ; 
“ in our London gardens bearing flowers of a pale whi- 
tifh colour, very Angle, refembling the female wilde 
peionyalthough the ftgure of No. 6 is that of another 
fpecies (humilis). And, from Parkinfon’s notice of it, we 
prefume it mu ft have been among the gardens in his days, 
though no-where to be found three years ago in this 
country but in the Oxford Botanic Garden, where it 
feems to have exifted unnoticed and unknown Ance the 
time of Morrifon, whofe defcription of it is very fatis- 
fartory: “ quam in horto alimus, cujus folia latiufcula 
lanugine alba utrinque obflta funt; flores flmplices 
primo emergentes fubcarnei, deindein albos tranfmutan- 
tur.” Mr. Sabine was indebted to the liberality of Mr. 
Profeflor Williams for roots of it from the Oxford bota¬ 
nic garden. From Cluflus we learn that this is a native 
of valleys on the higheft mountains in Crete; which its 
habit confirms, having all that woolly-like foftnefs in its 
young ftalks and leaves fo peculiar to the plants of that 
ifland. This is among the earlieft of paeonies ; comes 
out of the ground of a pale glaucous-green colour, def- 
titute of the ruddy tint fo common in the genus. Petals 
of a beautiful pale blufh-colour, crifp, and lacerated in 
a greater than ufual degree. Follicles almoft reflexed 
when ripe, lefs woolly and of a lighter colour than thofe 
of var. a. Roots of a paeony have been imported by 
Meffrs. Chandler and Buckingham from Holland which 
prove to be this plant. It flowers from the middle to the 
end of May. 
14. Pasonia mollis, or foft pseony: leaflets ovate-lan¬ 
ceolate, very woolly and foft beneath ; follicles erert. 
This is an entirely-new fpecies. It was raifed by Mefl'rs. 
Loddiges and fons, of Hackney, from feeds obtained from 
Pallas, and faid to be from Siberia ; although, from its ap¬ 
pearance, we Ihould rather fufpert it to have come from 
the Crimea, where that refperted naturalift fpent the lat¬ 
ter years of his life. From Mefl'rs. Loddiges it has found 
its way into the gardens of the curious under the mifta- 
ken name of anomala. We diftinguiflied it three years 
ago in Mr. Sabine's collertion as a truly-diftinft fpecies ; 
and it has been referved for us (fays Mr. Anderfon) firft 
to defcribe it. This plant is at firft fight diftinguifliable 
from its congeners by its Ihort rigid upright ftalks, the 
dark bluilh-green colour of its leaves, which are flat, com¬ 
part, very much divided, the laciniae crowded, overlapping 
each other, very woolly on the under-fide, no wife bordered 
with red, as in moft of the others, ancfthe lateral leaflets 
being almoft feflile, the exterior fide of each difpofed to 
be decurrent. It is the moft dwarf of all our fpecies, 
feldom reaching eighteen inches in height, even in our 
gardens. The ftalks, as well as the primary petioles, are 
N I A. 
nearly fmooth. The flower is fmall, of a dark dull pur- 
plifti red, by no means handfome. 
The three laft fpecies, which are added by Mr. Anderfon, 
we have defcribed nearly in the words of his “Mono¬ 
graph,” in the 12th vol. of the Linn. Tranf. This was 
almoft the laft art of that very ufeful writer’s life; for Mr. 
Sabine fays, in his Poftfcript, “ Two days after the prece¬ 
ding account had been brought to its prefent ftate by 
the diligence and induftry of my moft valued friend, he 
was accidentally killed by a fall from a carriage. This 
melancholy event happened on the 10th of January, 1817, 
near his own houfe, at Weft Ham ; and the fuperinten- 
dance of this paper, in confequence of that misfortune, 
has fallen on me alone : thus the gratification I had en¬ 
joyed in aflifting him in the compofition, and which would 
have been complete had we been able to fee the refult 
of our enquiry placed in the pages of the Tranfartions 
of the Society, was fuddenly deftroyed ; and that, which 
would have afforded me fo much pleafure, has now been 
a talk accompanied with the moft painful recollertions.” 
Propagation and Culture. The male peony is chiefly 
propagated for the roots, which are ufed in medicine; 
for the flowers, being Angle, do not afford near fo much 
pleafure as thofe with double flowers, nor will they abide 
near fo long in beauty. All the forts with double flowers 
are preferred in gardens for the beauty of their flowers 5 
which, when intermixed with other large growing plants, 
in the borders of large gardens, will add to the variety ; 
and the flowers are very ornamental in bafons or flower¬ 
pots, when placed in rooms. They are all extremely 
hardy, and will grow in almoft any foil or fituation, which 
renders them more valuable; for they will thrive under 
the fhade of trees, and, in fuch places, they will continue 
much longer in beauty. 
They are propagated by parting their roots, which 
multiply very faff. The beft feafon for tranfplanting 
them is towards the end of Auguft, or the beginning of 
September; for, if they are removed after their roots have 
fiiot out new fibres, they feldom flower ftrong the fuc- 
ceeding fummer. In parting thefe roots, always obferve 
to preferve a bud upon the crown of each offset, other- 
wife they will come to nothing; nor fhould you divide 
the roots too fmall, (efpecially if you have regard to their 
blowing the following year;) for, when their offsets are 
weak, they many times do not flower the fucceeding fum¬ 
mer, or at leaft produce but one flower upon each root; 
but, where you w'ould multiply them in quantifies, you 
may divide them as fmall as you pleafe, provided there be 
a bud to each offset; but then they fhould be planted in 
a nurfery-bed, for a feafon or two, to get ftrength, before 
they are placed in the flower-garden. 
The Angle forts may be propagated from feeds (which 
{hey generally produce in large quantities, where the 
flowers are permitted to remain), which fhould be fown 
in the autumn, foon after they are ripe, upon a bed of 
light frefli earth, covering them over, about half an inch 
thick, with the fame light earth. The fpring following 
the plants will come up, when they fhould be carefully 
cleared from weeds, and, in very dry weather, refrefhed 
with water, which will greatly forward their growth. In 
this bed they fhould remain two years before they are 
tranfplanted, obferving in autumn, when the leaves are 
decayed, to fpread fome frefli rich earth over the beds 
about an inch thick, and conftantly to keep them clear 
from weeds. When you tranfplant them, (which fhould 
be done in September,) you mult prepare fome beds of 
frefh light earth, which fhould be dug, and well cleaned 
from the roots of all noxious weeds; then plant the roots 
therein fix inches afunder, and about three inches deep. 
In thefe beds they may remain until they flower, after 
which they may be tranfplanted where you defign they 
fhould grow. It is very probable there may be fome va¬ 
rieties obtained from the feeds of thefe plants, as is com¬ 
mon in moft other flowers; fo that thofe which produce 
beautiful flowers may be placed in the flower-garden, but 
fuch 
