THE TREE PCEONY. 
125 
them ; we may add, too, in conclusion, that notwithstanding the 
immense size of the individual blossoms, they are borne freely on 
very small plants, and on larger specimens are most copiously 
displayed. 
The name of the genus is one given by Ellis, in honour of his 
friend Dr. Garden, of Charleston, in Carolina, an ardent botanist 
and collector. Its geographical distribution extends over a great 
part of the eastern world. From China most of those best known 
to us have been obtained, such as radicans^oi’ida, and its double 
variety ctmoena, and some others. 
Various parts of the East Indies also boast their Gardenias, all 
of them handsome evergreen shrubs, with, for the most part, 
white highly-scented flowers ; the African species, however, very 
far exceed in floral magnificence those of Asiatic origin, those 
regions claiming not only those which now grace our pages, but 
also the handsome G. SJierbourniana, Thunbergiana , and Roth- 
mannii; all of them decided acquisitions everywhere. The last- 
mentioned species is remarkable for the intense odour it emits at 
night, and for the freedom with which it produces its black pear- 
shaped fruit. Nearly all the species in a state of nature are 
armed with sharp spines, these, however, disappear under high 
culture, or as the plants grow old. 
The genus is arranged by most botanists in the natural order 
Rubiacece , though some place it in Cinchonacece , the close affinity 
of the two rendering the definition of either a matter of some 
difficulty. In the Linnsean arrangement it is stationed in Pen- 
tandria Monogynia. 
* Editor.. 
CULTURE OF THE TREE PCEONY. 
The Pceonia Moutan , or Chinese tree pceony, is a free-flowering, 
very handsome ornament of our conservatories in spring, and of 
the flower-garden in early summer; there are four varieties of it 
already known in our gardens, and the reports of travellers lead 
us to expect some others from the Celestial Empire, which shall 
decidedly eclipse all those we were previously acquainted with ; 
