THE PEONY BEAUTIFUL 
Historij and Development of Tliis Wonderful and Magnificent Hardtj Perennial 
By MISS JESSIE M. GOOD. 
With the exception of a lew travelers, Botanists, and 
amateur growers, all lovers of flowers, the onlij Peony known 
in America until about the middle of the nineteenth centtirij 
was the old-fashioned double red one of our grandmothers’ 
gardens. Todaij, after ijears of exploitation, when Peonies 
are mentioned, nine-tenths of the public recall this one sort 
only with its rank odor, Recall it, too, with an inherited 
prejudice, for owing to its ease of culture it was a favorite 
flower about the peasant's dooryards of Europe, and there¬ 
fore the gentry called it coarse and common, admiration of 
which betrayed low taste. 
But within the last one hundred and fifty ijears new va¬ 
rieties were introduced that have caused a vast change in 
the attitude of the public towards the Peony, and today it 
Is accounted the most splendid flower in cultivation. 
There are three distinct varieties of Peonies: Peony 
Officinalis, the old-fashioned sort spoken of above, formerly 
grew wild over southern Europe, and to it we owe its name, 
for it is the Paeony of Greek and Latin literature, and was 
named for Paeon, a physician of the Trojan war, who at¬ 
tributed his miraculous cures to his use of the Peony. Fable 
has it that Paeon, who was a pupil of Aesculapius, first 
received the Peony from Leto, the mother of Apollo. With 
this Peony Paeon cured the wounds Pluto received from 
Hercules; but the cure caused so much jealousy on the part 
of Aesculapius that he secretly caused the death of Paeon. 
Pluto, however, grateful for his cure, turned the physician 
into the flower which has since borne his name. For him, 
too, physicians were often called “Paeonii.” The root was 
much used in medicine, and a piece of it worn about the 
neck preserved the wearer from enchantments. But, ah, 
today the Peony is weaving enchantments of its own more 
enthralling than those of any Delphic priestess. 
It is strange that with the exception of P. Browni, the 
only Peony as yet found in America, that the P. Officinalis 
is found in southern Europe alone, while P. Moutan and P. 
Alblflora were found only in China and Siberia. However, 
the Officinalis Peonies of today are so improved in growth, 
form and color that they are esteemed most highly for their 
beauty and earliness. There are the three beautiful colors, 
red, white and pink. 
Peony Moutan, or tree Peony, as we commonly call it, 
has a most interesting history, and to Mr. Eliot Coit, formerly 
of the Horticultural Department of Cornell University, I am 
indebted for much of the material facts of this article, for 
possibly no man in America is so conversant with the history 
of the Peony in Europe and America as he. 
The facts are as follows: In 1656, by special permission 
and protection of the Chinese government, the Dutch East 
India Company sent an envoy through part of China. This 
envoy sent home the most glowing account of the Peony. 
I lis account is as follows: In the province of Suchue, near 
to Chung King, grows a certain flower called Meutang 
(Moutan), in high esteem amongst them and therefore called 
‘King of Flowers. It differs very little in equality from the 
European rose, but is much larger and spreads its leaves 
further abroad. It far surpasses the rose in beauty, but falls 
short in richness of scent. It has no thorns or prickles, is 
generally of a white color, mingled with a little purple; yet 
there are some that are yellow and red. This flower grows 
upon a bush and is carefully cherished and planted in all 
gardens belonging to the Grandees, for one of their most 
cherished flowers." 
Nothing was done towards bringing this plant to Europe 
until one hundred and thirty-five years later, when an Eng¬ 
lishman, Sir Joseph Banks, reading the volume on China 
written by the envoy, became interested and instructed 
certain merchants trading at Canton to have specimens of 
the Moutang sent to him. Repeated attempts were made 
to bring a living plant to England, but owing to lack of 
knowledge in packing, and the length of time it took sailing 
vessels to make the journey, it was not until 1 794, four years 
later, that he was successful in getting alive from China two 
living tree Peonies. Theij proved all that the envoy had 
declared them to be, and other importations quickly fol¬ 
lowed. 
In “Memoires des Chinois” bij the Missionaries, Paris, 
1873, we are told that the Moutan, as we call it, had been 
the pride and glory of the Chinese for fourteen hundred 
ijears. They had developed between two and three hun¬ 
dred varieties, which they valued as much as did the Dutch 
their tulips. The finest specimens were sent to the 
emperor s garden, where it was prized for its great beauty 
and fragrance, for the Chinese florists had developed fra¬ 
grance in the Moutan. AVe need not wonder at their 
enthusiasm, when we know that well grown specimens are 
in existence that are eight and nine feet high, bearing in a 
single season more than five hundred of their gigantic fra¬ 
grant blooms. 
As long ago as 536 A. D. the Chinese distinguished two 
kinds of Peonies: The Sho Vo, or common kind that modern 
florists usualhj call Chinensis in catalogs, and the Mow Tan 
(Moutan), or tree Peony. The splendid tree Peony was 
called ITwa ^Vang, King of Flowers," and Sho Yos were 
called ITwa Seang, “King’s Prinve Ministers.” 
Until about 600 A. D. the Peony was grown largely for 
its medicinal qualities, but about this date they were intro¬ 
duced as ornamental garden plants, and at once came into 
high favor. Soon after this a genealogical register was 
established by Gow Yang Sew, to record the qualities, 
parentage, and other characteristics of the kinds grown from 
seed; so that nearly twelve hundred years ago the Chinese 
had a register, while the American Peony Society is only 
ten years old, and is still compiling theirs. With the new 
colors being offered each season, this register or check list 
promises to be a long-continued task. 
About 724 A. D. the Peony was introduced into Japan, 
where it at once attained high favor with that beauty- 
loving nation, a favor continued to this day. The Japanese 
call it Botan, and the root was largely grown for medicinal 
purposes, whole districts devoting themselves to its culture, 
while the country about Nara became fomous for flowering 
plants, many selling as high as one hundred ounces of silver 
for a single plant. 
P. Albiflora has a history similar to that of Moutan, for its 
importation followed so closely that of the tree Peony that 
no exact record of its introduction is known. It is the Peony 
that is destined to become the most popular flower in the 
world, the rose excepted. Like the hybrid perpetual roses, 
all Peonies bloom but once each year, but unlike the rose 
they are almost free from diseases. In its wild state it was 
a native of Siberia, growing to its northernmost confines; 
single, semi-double and fragrant. 
Soon after its introduction to England its roots were taken 
to France, and there the real cultivation of the Peony began. 
Its habit of sporting into new colors, and the freedom with 
which it seeds, were taken advantage of. Climate, soil, 
high feeding were all used to develop the plant, but cross¬ 
fertilization did more than all else to bring new varieties. 
The first Peonies from seed were raised and sold in France 
by M. Lemon, of Port St. Denis, in 1824. M. Jacques, 
gardener to King Louis Philip, originated some of the first of 
the fine varieties. His collection was inherited by his 
nephew, Victor Verdier. 
Other early French Peony enthusiasts was the Comte de 
Cussy, the Prince de Salm-Dyck and Modeste Guerin. Also 
M. Buyck, a Belgian amateur. M. Calot of Douai inher¬ 
ited the collection of the Comte de Cussy, which in turn 
passed into the hands of M. Crousse of Nancy. Then later 
it came into the possession of its present owner, M. Lemoine. 
Other early Peony hybridists were M. Parmentier, Mayor 
of Enghein, Belgium, and the following Frenchmen: Delache, 
Delacourt-Verhille, Donkelaer, Foulard, Gombault, Mechin, 
Miellez, Van Houtte. Some of our very best Peonies orig¬ 
inated with these men. M. Dessert and M. Lemoine, of 
France, are the leading originators of Peonies in the world. 
Page Eight 
The Good & Reese Company , Springfield, Ohio 
